“I’m definitely starting to feel more comfortable,” Wilcox said after his second straight start for Boston, scoring 17 points and pulling down nine rebounds in a 98-88 loss to the Pistons. “I’m running the floor, just trying to get a few easy ones to get me going, playing defense; that’s all. You just have to go out there and play hard.”

His 4.8 points and 3.7 rebound per game are not eye-popping, but it’s hard not to notice Wilcox  giving it his all. And it’s not just under the basket. Even at 6-10 and 235 lbs he runs down the floor on offense, something his point guard has taken notice of, and rewarding the big man for.

“I love playing with Chris. He is probably one of the fastest bigs in the league. I tell him to get out there and run with me and he does a great job every night,” said Rajon Rondo, who found Wilcox three times Wednesday night, including an alley-oop early in the third quarter. “Chris has been playing great for us.”

Head coach Doc Rivers even took the Rondo-Wilcox connection a little further, comparing it to another New England duo that had a record-setting season together.

“Rondo has trust that he can throw the ball up and he’ll go get it. He made some tough passes I thought and Chris caught them and finished. It’s no different, I guess, than (Tom) Brady and (Rob Gronkowski),” said Rivers. “You get confidence in certain guys.”

Maybe Doc took that one a little too far, but the trust between Rondo and Wilcox has grown a lot, and will likely continue to do so.

“I know at the beginning of the year I was dropping a lot of his passes. So we were practicing things like that [and it] helped me out, being in the right situation at the right time. The passes he is throwing now is nothing surprising to me,” said Wilcox.

The 29-year-old forward will keep getting his chances as long as he continues to show the hustle on the floor. Kevin Garnett missed Wednesday night with a hip flexor injury, and it only makes sense to rest the 35-year-old forward for the time being.

While Wilcox and the C’s missed Garnett on the floor on Wednesday, it was one of those opportunities for a player to step up.

“I definitely miss him a lot. We miss any of our players when they’re out. He’s our energy guy and he’s definitely missed,” Wilcox said of Garnett. “At the end of the day, guys have to step up and have bigger rolls.”

Wilcox will be one of those guys, and right now, the Celtics like what they see.

“He’s given us exactly what we hoped he’d give us when we signed him; energy, athleticism, running the floor, finishing at the basket,” said Rivers. “If he can stay where he is at right now, I’m very happy with that.”

“I think it’s going to be this type of year. I keep saying it; it’s going to be up and down,” head coach Doc Rivers said after the 98-88 loss to the Pistons in which the Celtics were outscored 25-16 in the fourth quarter. “Every time it looks like we’re about to take off and play well, we do this. I’m hoping at some point, we’ll keep doing this and then we’ll take off. But we haven’t done that.”

“We’re all in this together. There are going to be games we lose to teams like this, but at the end of the day we have to stick together we’ll pull through,” said forward Chris Wilcox, who started for the injured Kevin Garnett and put in 17 points and nine rebounds. “Right now it’s tough for all of us, we have to find a way to grind it out.”

The Celtics have played well recently, winning nine of 10 before dropping three of their last four. But 11-8 at home, to go with 15-13 overall, is not a good record for a team holding on to a lower playoff seed.

The only bright spot is, besides the loss to the Pistons and one to the Cavaliers, the L’s at home have come against playoff-caliber teams, and most as the Celtics were figuring themselves out early in the season. The Celtics dropped four straight at the Garden against Pacers, Mavericks, Bulls and Thunder after taking their first three games at the Garden.

The problem is, now they have two long trips ahead: the five gamer they are about to go on, and an epic eight-game road trip in the middle of March. The Celtics are going to have to get used to staying in hotels, as they play 11 of their 17 games in March on the road, five on the West coast. Eight of their 15 games in April are on the road.

But some say hitting the road won’t be the worst thing for the team.

“We want to look forward now,” said point guard Rajon Rondo, who had a career-high 35 points in Wednesday’s loss. “Hopefully this will bring us closer together, not that we’re a distant team, but the road seems to bring guys together and hopefully we’ll string some wins together.”

“The road-home schedule hasn’t [bothered me]; never did,” said Rivers. “I think we’re really good on the road. So far, we’ve proven we can beat anyone and lose to anyone. That’s the maddening part. What we haven’t proven is we can be a consistent basketball team.”

Really good on the road is a bit of a stretch, with losses in New Orleans and Toronto, and two of their four road wins coming against the Washington Wizards. Some of the better, and even mediocre, college teams could beat the Wizards this season.

Not taking advantage of their early contests at home will come back to haunt Boston as the playoffs draw closer.  But getting their act straightened out while on this upcoming road trip could be what the Celtics need to turn things around.

They have a chance to avenge their early season home losses to the Mavericks and Thunder, and the most recent one to the Pistons, over the next week. Now is their chance to take advantage and prove the doubters wrong.

If not, there is always the lottery…. right?

The Boston Herald reported Thursday that the Celtics twice tried to acquire Lin when he was on waivers, but in both instances, another team beat them to it.

Lin, 23, was waived by his hometown Golden State Warriors in December after averaging 2.6 points and 1.4 assists in just under 10 minutes per game last season.

That’s when, according to the Herald, the Celtics put in a claim, only to be beaten by the Rockets, who were ahead of the Celtics in the waiver order. Lin didn’t last long with the Rockets, though, and was again let go, giving the C’s another chance to claim him. Injuries in the Knicks’ backcourt, however, led to New York adding him first.

With Lin as a starter, the Knicks are 7-0, with Lin averaging 24.4 points, 9.1 assists and four rebounds.

Kevin Garnett participated in the Celtics Wednesday morning shoot around, and has been upgraded to probable for Wednesday’s game against the Detroit Pistons, according to CSNNE’s A. Sherrod Blakely. Garnett had been listed as doubtful on Tuesday, nursing a sore hip flexor that flared up during Sunday’s win over the Bills.

Believe it or not, the 35-year-old Garnett is the only Celtic to play in every game this season.

Mickael Pietrus (knee) was also doubtful on Tuesday, but sounded confident that he would play. We’ll see if Doc Rivers feels the same way come game time.

But any injury in the shortened NBA season should be cause for concern, with not much time to relax and recuperate between games. With KG a little banged up and Jermaine O’Neal’s shoulder still on the mend, plus a Thursday night game in Chicago that begins a five-game road trip, the Celtics should rely on their bench more on Wednesday.

With Brandon Bass out, Chris Wilcox and rookies JaJuan Johnson and Greg Stiemsma should be ready to get the call off the bench.

Toucher & Rich: Stiemsma On Playing Time, Road Trip

Wilcox and Johnson both played well Sunday in Boston’s win over the Bulls, and will likely see some more time together on the floor with, well, no one else really left to play. Wilcox, a nine-year veteran, has played much better as of late, as he figures out his role on the team. He played a season-high 26 minutes against the Bulls, pulling down nine rebounds and chipping in with 11 points. He ran the floor well, and was aggressive against a difficult Chicago front-court of Joakim Noah and Carlos Boozer.

Johnson also impressed in Sunday’s win, with the rookie notching career highs in minutes (33), points (12) and tying his career high in rebounds (4). He is gaining some confidence on the floor, and Rivers has applauded his dedication. Johnson should be rewarded with some more playing time and more opportunities to prove himself.

Read: Celtics-Bulls Preview

With the Celtics front court banged up, having Detroit in town for an evening is a good night to rest anyone that needs it. The Pistons are coming off a loss to the Spurs Tuesday night, with their center Greg Monroe having an off night (four points, six rebounds in 22 minutes). Detroit does have a tough matchup in Jason Maxiell, but overall it’s a game the Celtics should win, even with players ailing.

The Celtics focus should be more on the upcoming road trip against tougher opponents (Bulls on Thursday, Mavs and Thunder next week). The All-Star break is just around the corner, and if the Celtics can make it through their next five games in one piece, they’ll get some much-needed rest heading into the final 34 games of the season.

Kevin Garnett and Brandon Bass are doubtful for Wednesday’s game against the Pistons, and with Jermaine O’Neal still hurting from a bad shoulder, Stiemsma knows it will likely be his time to go.

“With some guys going down all season other guys have had to step up. Tonight could be one of those nights that I know I have to step up a bit,” he told 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher and Rich in his weekly appearance.

His playing time has been sporadic this season, making it tough to get into a groove on the floor. But that, he says, is all part of life on an NBA bench.

“I think sometimes when you hop in there you get a feel right away. Other games it kind of takes a few possessions. In my situation, sometimes you don’t get those possessions to get the feel. I have to especially focus on being ready and getting into that feel as soon as possible. I have make sure I’m paying attention on the bench, making sure I know what is going on in the scouting reports and know what I’m looking for when I do get in so I can get that feel as soon as possible. That’s part of being a pro-athlete; it’s part of my job.”

After starting the season with three games on the road, the Celtics have not had back-to-back road games since. After hosting the Pistons Wednesday night, they head out on a five game road trip (with the All-Star break sprinkled in between), something Stiemsma has yet to experience in the NBA. With the veteran leadership they have, he doesn’t see it as something that the Celtics will struggle with.

“I think with the experience we have, with the team that we have, I don’t think being on the road is going to affect us in a negative way. We still go out and play our style of basketball, Celtics basketball, and we’re tough to beat. We’re on pace with anyone in the league on a night to night basis.”

Playing on the road in the NBA is a lot different from playing on the road overseas, which Stiemsma experienced during his time in Turkey and Korea. For one, he gets his own room now on the road, in addition to all the other travel perks that differ from his overseas experience.

“There are no real excuses when you play on the road,” he said. “We haven’t had a ton of nights where we’ve been in towns to really get out on the town or even have a day off on the road. This will be a new experience for me and a few of the rookies to see what the NBA life on the road is like.”

Hear more from Stiemsma, including his take on Doc Rivers’ outburst last Friday in Toronto

Listen:

Garnett is nursing a sore hip flexor that flared up in Sunday’s win over the Bulls, and did not participate in Tuesday’s practice.

“It’s nothing bad with Kevin,” said Rivers. “But [trainer] Eddy (Lacertte) really suggested two days off, then today he said maybe three days off.  We’ll find that out (Wednesday).”

Garnett is the only Celtic to play in every game this season.

Pietrus participated briefly in practice, one of only a few he’s had with the team, but is still feeling pain in his right knee.

Mickael Pietrus On Practice 

There was some good news on the injury front from Tuesday’s practice. Center Jermaine O’Neal, who missed the last two games with a bad left shoulder, practiced and is expected to return Wednesday night.

“I was able to get through practice. It’s still a little bit sore, but you try to give what you can give,” O’Neal said.

Rivers would not say if Garnett’s absence would lead to rookie JaJuan Johnson getting his first career start, but he is pleased with the 23-year-old’s progress.

“He’s getting better; he’s showing why I keep saying he’ll be a player in this league,” Rivers said. “The best part is he works at it. High character kid, he really is.”

“He’s going to play, and he’s going to keep getting better,” Rivers added.

This was one of the few team practices the Celtics have been able to have in the strike-shortened season, and first since late January. Rivers said they worked on a lot of small lineup defense in the 90-minute session, something they didn’t really have a choice with due to all the injuries.

Two NBA teams cut the 23-year-old but now, ‘Linsanity’ is taking over the NBA mainly because he’s lighting up every court he plays on.

But why are we, Celtics nation even uttering the name of some guy on the our rival team?

Turns out Lin is a product of Harvard University. “He was the hardest working guy we had even when he was the best player we had here,” says former teammate Oliver McNally.

But until the other day no one seemed to notice how good he was. An undrafted, free agent last year the Knicks picked him up to just keep the bench warm. Then they let him play and he blew up both on the court with 109 points in his first four starts and everywhere else.

His number 17 jersey is the top seller online, Knicks gear is flying out of stores, Madison Square Garden’s stock is even up.

“It’s a lot right now but I think I’m getting used to it a little more and obviously spending as much time with my family and them giving me advice and keeping me grounded,” says Lin when asked about all the craze surrounding his meteoric rise.

Still McNally says even with Lin’s new found success he’s pretty sure he will never forget where he originally came from, “He’s an extremely humble down to earth guy, this type of success couldn’t have happened to a better person.”

For Lin is all something he’s still getting used to, “I’m just trying to soak it all in right now.”

The NBA has named Lin one of its players of the week.

Bass has been an integral part to the Celtics second unit, and the starters, earning his way onto the floor at the end of games. His contributions as a new-comer have been big off an unreliable Celtics bench, averaging 11.6 points and 6.1 rebounds in 29 minutes.

But now it will fall on two players to fill the void: Chris Wilcox and rookie JaJuan Johnson.

Both shined in Boston’s 95-91 win over the Bulls on Sunday, with Johnson showing in his 33 minutes he can make some noise if given the chance.

“I’m just happy to be able to contribute to the team. I think any rookie would just be happy to be out there, to say they were a part of a team win,” Johnson said after the victory, in which he racked up a career high 12 points and four rebounds.

The 33 minutes were a new career high for the rookie, who was taken 27^th overall by New Jersey, then shipped to Boston for guard Marshon Brooks in a pre-arranged draft night deal. He shot five-for-13, and looked much more confident than in previous trips up and down the floor.

Head coach Doc Rivers knows that one performance doesn’t mean the first-rounder is destined to be a future All-Star, but he certainly likes what he saw from the 23-year-old.

“One game doesn’t make a star. One season doesn’t make a star. You just have to keep doing it and he has to keep doing it consistently,” Rivers said of Johnson running the court. “He’s a great kid. He’s young and he’s still learning, focused and all that. He’s a good player.”

Wilcox also played well in his first start of the season, in place of the injured Jermaine O’Neal, with 11 points and nine rebounds in 26 minutes.

“We are all here grinding together. We’re going to have guys that are going to be down and all we just have to do is pick up our energy and fill their shoes,” Wilcox said after the game.

Pushing the pace is key for the Boston, with point guard Rajon Rondo having one of his best games with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds. Both Johnson and Wilcox were on the receiving end of alley-oop dunks in the fourth quarter from Rondo because of their hustle down the court.

“(Johnson) kind of caught on and got into it,” Rivers said of the fast pace. “After that, I thought his speed and Chris’ athleticism, both of them had a major impact.”

“You can get some easy buckets just by running,” said the rookie Johnson.

“It’s even better getting a reward, getting a dunk or something like that,” said Wilcox. “But when you get someone else open and they hit a three; that’s fun basketball.”

The Celtics need more of the same for the next two weeks until Bass returns, and it would certainly help if it continued after as well.

Rajon Rondo recorded a triple-double with 32 points, 15 assists and 10 rebounds in the win.

Gary Tanguay spoke with Toucher & Rich about the win over Chicago, the loss to the Lakers, the trade deadline and Jermaine O’Neal.

Is this victory over the Bulls something Tanguay feels this team can build on or did they just beat that was missing a key player?

“It’s probably they’re playing a team without their best player, I mean you have to be honest about it. The Bulls didn’t have the MVP and obviously if the Bulls don’t have Derrick Rose it’s a big, big difference.”

The guys took a look at the one point loss to the Lakers from earlier in the week. The guys discussed the last few minutes of the fourth quarter and the last play of the game that could have won it for the C’s.

“One of the frustrations I’ve had with this Celtics team is that they can run great offense for 46 minutes and then the last two minutes at times they’ll fall apart.”

The NBA trade deadline is approaching and Tanguay made a prediction earlier in the Season about Paul Pierce. He said that Pierce would not be on this team come March, but has his opinion changed with the way this team has been performing?

“It has because they are having a tough time finding a match.”

“Teams are consistently calling about Paul Pierce and Paul Pierce is checking in with his agent everyday, what’s going on? It’s looming over his head. Danny is talking calls from people, but they haven’t been able to find a match. From what I’ve been told Danny wants a draft pick and an expiring contract back.”

Next up the Celtics host the Detroit Pistons on Wednesday night.
Listen:

The first guy Adolfo met up with was upset about the loss and wished some ill will toward Kobe Bryant.

He also gave his thoughts on a possible trade involving Rajon Rondo and Pau Gasol. Listen to what his suggestion for what Gasol should do instead?

Paul Pierce just passed Larry Bird to move into second place on the Celtics all-time scorers list. What did this fan think of the feat?

Adolfo then ran into “Numbah One” Celtics superfan Aztec Gino and his buddy A.K.A. Bob. Another very enthusiastic fan really wanted to talk to Adolfo, but was told to wait.

He was not very happy with that response.

Listen:

Gary Washburn of the Boston Globe spoke with 98.5 The Sports Hub’s Toucher & Rich about the loss, the trade deadline and Rajon Rondo.

The Green were on a roll until they hosted the Lakers and it became clear that they need a man down low. What is the team planning to do?

“I don’t think anything at this point, I mean what really can you do with it. There’s not many decent centers out there.”

Washburn looked at the one point loss to the Lakers as encouraging. He believes that the Celtics are making progress this season. What does Washburn see Danny Ainge doing come the trade deadline? Will Ainge sit on his hands or make some moves?

“Danny’s going to be extremely realistic with this team. I don’t think at 14 and 11 he say hey we’re going to compete for a title. This team is going to have to gradually improve before that trade deadline and he’s going to have to see some really encouraging things for him not to. Also their going to have to get an attractive offer too, their not just going to give away guys.”

They discussed trade rumors that have come out in the past involving Rajon Rondo and thoughts that Ainge has no intentions of building a team around Rondo. Is Rondo the guy for the future?

“I don’t think that they feel that Rondo is like a franchise point guard. I think that they think they need a franchise big man, but I don’t see why you would trade a 25, 26 year old Rondo for a 31 year old Gasol who is probably on the down side of his career.”

Listen and find out who the guys think is the ugliest player in the NBA.

Listen:

Glenn Gronkowski posted a picture to Twitter on Thursday night of brother Rob Gronkowski and father Gordy Gronkowski posing with Lakers star Kobe Bryant. The Lakers had just defeated the Celtics 88-87 in overtime, with Bryant scoring 27 points.

A picture’s nothing to get too worked up about for Pats fans, but Kobe did admit to a little bit of recruiting work for his hometown Philadelphia Eagles.

“I said the Eagles need a tight end that’s what I told him. I’m recruiting,” a light-hearted Bryant told reporters after the game. “He’s phenomenally talented, just a freak athlete.”

Bryant said the 22-year-0ld Gronkowski was saying a few things himself.

“We were talking. He shot it at me, I shot it back,” he said. “It’s fun to have those conversations with athletes that you respect.”

Another athlete that has earned some of Kobe’s respect is Austin Rivers, the son of Celtics coach Doc Rivers who hit a buzzer-beater for Duke to beat UNC on Wednesday night.

“I told him his son’s got some big cojones,” Bryant said of his conversation with Doc.

Other Patriots players in attendance for the C’s-Lakers game were Vince Wilfork and Julian Edelman, both of whom received ovations when shown on the video board. Owner Robert Kraft was also in attendance, and he was seen shaking hands and talking individually with a number of fans during halftime.

Gronkowski’s not the first Patriots player to chum it up with Bryant. During Game 3 of the 2010 NBA Finals, Tom Brady sat with Bryant’s father, Joe “Jellybean” Bryant, and offered a little love to Kobe after the Lakers beat the Celtics.

Felger and Massarotti kicked off the day doing a comparison between Larry Bird and Paul Pierce.

Where will Pierce be on the list of all-time great Celtics players?  Does being 2nd in team scoring make him a top 3 Celtics player?

Is it even fair to compare Paul Pierce to Larry Bird?

Who are Mazz’ top 5 Celtics of all-time?

Listen:

He stands out, of course, for his play on the court, which has earned him nine All-Star nods, a championship and a Finals MVP. But he stands out even more for his loyalty, as he’s been a member of the Boston Celtics since Day 1 of his NBA career.

He was rewarded for that faith in the organization on Tuesday night, when he passed Larry Bird on the Celtics’ all-time scoring list. The recognition, according to coach Doc Rivers, was a long time coming.

“Here’s the part I wish people wrote more about Paul. Paul had a chance to leave us when we were bad, and instead of moaning that he wanted to go to a championship team, he stayed,” River said after the Celtics’ victory on Tuesday. “He said, ‘I simply want to be a Celtic and I trust that we’re going to win a title some day.’ He had no reason to believe that at that time. I mean, we were pretty awful.

Doc Praises Pierce’s Loyalty 

“To me, I wish people talked about his loyalty more, because I think that that’s special, especially in this day and time, when everybody’s jumping from team to team.”

Pierce has played 985 games for the Celtics, scoring 21,797 points along the way.

“I do think,” Rivers added, “it’s special that Paul Pierce decided he wanted to be a Celtic for his life. And I think that’s pretty cool.”

Why is Pierce not getting more love by the local media for this accomplishment? The Boston Herald only gave Pierce a portion of the sports cover.

Listen: