Every morning, we compile the links of the day and dump them here... highlighting the big storyline. Because there's nothing quite as satisfying as a good morning dump.
“We don’t need them all, but we need a couple in every series,” Rivers said. “This is a series we may need Marquis because of LeBron (James). He’s done decent against him.”
Before Daniels tore ligaments in his left thumb, requiring surgery in December, he was indispensable off the pine. That was evident in the season opener in Cleveland six months ago when the subs saved the day, and Daniels led the way with a plus-11.
Now he’s hoping for a similar opportunity.
“He told me to be ready for it,” Daniels said of Rivers. “I’ve just been trying to stay upbeat and positive about whatever goes on, so whenever my name’s called or my number’s called, I’ll be ready.”
Herald: Marquis Daniels may lock on LeBron James
This is a typical Doc Rivers move: DNP, Garbage Time, DNP, DNP, DNP, Check the best player on the planet.
But Marquis has good length and might be the best guy off the bench to bother LeBron... at least to some degree. So get ready, Quisy... now's your time to shine.
Could it be that this series will hinge on our two key bench acquisitions that have turned out to be huge disappointments this season? Rasheed Wallace and Marquis Daniels might be the guys that swing this series... only because this series is going to come down to just a few plays in each game.
I have more confidence in Quisy, though. I think he just ended up lost because of all the time he missed. But with a chance to focus on one team and one role, he might do well.
Sheed... I keep saying he's going to surprise us this series, but I'll be honest, I'm wearing these as I say that.
On Page 2... The D is still not quite there yet
“Up and down,” the C’s coach said of his team’s consistency in getting a stop. “The first two games, I thought it was the old Celtics. It was absolutely wonderful to see. I was upset after Game 3 and we won, but I kept saying we can’t keep doing that again, and we did it again and lost Game 4.
“If you rate (Game 5), for 3 quarters we were absolutely great again defensively,” said Rivers. “So we’re getting there. We’re really close, and you can see it defensively. That’s who we have to be, though.”
Herald: Doc Rivers still pressing 'D'
Yeah, the Celtics let up a bit, which is still going to be a problem against a team like Cleveland. That line up is a bit different than Miami's. Mo Williams is a little better than Carlos Arroyo. Antawn Jamison is a little better than Quentin Richardson. You can't miss rotations on those guys and expect not to pay.
So let's not get blinded by how much Miami's supporting cast sucked. The C's still have to tighten things up against the Cavs to win this series.
The rest of the links:
Herald: Maturing Glen Davis key to Celtics bench | Fasten those seat belts, Celtics fans | LeBron says elbow is OK | Jamison elevates his game as Cavs advance | Globe: Cavs not a one man operation | James elbow woes a mystery | Souza: Cavs, C's have a mutual dislike | Camerato: Finley settled in for playoffs | Celtics Blog: Is this thing on? | Celtics Hub: Ray's shooting: Trending the right way | Celtics Town: Celtics players in free agency? Almost impossible