HoopsHype.com Rumors

Tommy Beer: Jeff Green: "If they wanna dress in all black, let them do that. We are here to win games, and not talk.” Twitter @TommyBeer

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

Peter Stringer: Jeff Green was asked where the team's confidence level is right now. His response, with no hesitation: "It's still high." Twitter @celtics

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

Chris Herring: Woodson says Felton would likely defend Pierce to start, and Shumpert on Jeff Green if Prigioni returns for Game Two. Twitter @HerringWSJ

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Paul Pierce, Raymond Felton, Jeff Green, Iman Shumpert, Pablo Prigioni 

Jeff Green has started in the seven games Garnett has missed due to his ankle injury, but Rivers won't relegate Green back to a bench role upon Garnett's return. Expect to see a bigger starting lineup moving forward, with Green and Pierce swapping time at the two-guard spot. Rivers said he's finally seeing the production out of Green that he's been expecting all season, and that he's earned the starting job. "I was hoping (to start Green consistently at some point)," Rivers said. "That was my intention. We weren’t going to give it to him, he had to be more consistent to do that. Starters have to be consistent. Bench players are the inconsistent guys that go up and down. Jeff has earned that. And I’m really happy because he makes everyone better." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

“We’re playing off each other,” said Green, who scored 34 points to go with Pierce’s 17 in a 98-93 win over a Pistons team that had no matchup answers. “We’re two lethal threats on the perimeter and in the low post, so teams have to make a decision on how they want to play us. Either one of us is going to have a nice matchup.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green 

Green is averaging 21.4 points in his 10 games as a starter, a figure that would make him the Celtics’ overall leader if stretched over the entire season. Pierce is tops with an 18.8 average. In his last 11 games, Green is averaging 19.3 points and shooting 52.3 percent from the field. “I’m at a point where I’m comfortable,” Green said. “There’s always more. I’m never content with where I’m at, so I’ve got to keep pushing.” People have seen the C’s, but they haven’t seen Pierce, Kevin Garnett, Avery Bradley and this Jeff Green. “It just opens up the floor for other guys and makes us a better team,” Green said of the effect the way he’s playing now can have on the operation. “I mean, when you’ve got Paul and Kevin, when they get healthy, and then you’ve got myself and Jet (Jason Terry), Courtney (Lee) and Avery, when we’re clicking it opens everything up. It just adds another dimension to our team.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

Underneath the uniform of the man who can soar like a superhero is a padded tank top that covers his chest, now a part of his game-day attire since undergoing open-heart surgery in January of 2012. Green first wore the protective layer once he began playing again last summer, and there was an adjustment period to the new part of his uniform. "When I first started wearing it last summer and started playing, it felt weird," Green said. "I had to get used to it. It was tight, uncomfortable, you name it, that’s what it was. Before I didn’t wear a tank top or anything, just a jersey." Nike created a customized tank top with padding in the chest and along the sides for Green. While he waited for his to arrive, he borrowed one of Rajon Rondo's. CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

“I wear it every time I play,” he said. “I don’t have to, it’s just something that I do. I don’t even think about it now." CSNNE.com

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

Jeff Green lifted the Boston Celtics to a 93-92 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night. The in-game heroics were thrilling, but what Green did after was truly moving. Green embraced Dr. Lars Svensson. Svensson saved Green's life a little over a year ago. Svennsson performed open-heart surgery on Green last year to repair an aortic aneurysm. "Just a year ago and a couple months, I was under that bright light with him working on me," Green told boston.com. "It's a blessing to be here." USA Today Sports

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

With Miami storming into Boston on Monday, the Celtics will once again look to Green to help keep James in line. "It's always a challenge," Green said at Sunday's practice. "He's one of the best players. It's always a challenge guarding him and I take on the challenge of guarding him. I enjoy it." But Green knows he won't be able to stop James all by himself. He can be the first line of defense and work to cut off James' lanes to the basket, but he'll need his teammates working and communicating behind him to help bolster the attack. Communication on defense could be thrown into even greater focus on Monday if Kevin Garnett -- Boston's best talker on defense -- is still out with a strained left adductor. Doc Rivers said at Sunday's practice that KG is "50/50 at best" for Monday night's game. "I can't do it alone," Green said. "He's going to get past me sometimes, but that's why you count on your teammates to be there." ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Miami Heat, LeBron James, Jeff Green 

Jeff Green: Amazing dunk by DeAndre Jordan yes but can they stop making "R.I.P" signs for @Brandon Knight that's just taking it to far Twitter @unclejeffgreen

Detroit Pistons, Los Angeles Clippers, Jeff Green, DeAndre Jordan, Brandon Knight 

Asked earlier this week if people underestimate what he has endured, Green nodded. “They do. They take it for granted,” he said. “They think the game of basketball is the same style all around, and it’s not. There’s different coaches, different style of players, different styles of plays, different styles of the way that teams play. There are so many things you have to take into account when you get traded to a team or join a team.” And when the game doesn’t properly flow, the barriers go up. “I’ve always been that way,” he said. “I’ve always been told to relax, I’ve always been told to not be so hard on myself, but that’s just the way I grew up. It’s the way I’ve been since I was young. I always expected the best in whatever I put forth.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

Much of that criticism fell on Green. That, at least, is how he perceived it. He’s still unsure. “I don’t care what people thought of it,” he said, while also revealing enough hurt to show that public perception did indeed bother him. “I didn’t put that pressure on myself, but I felt that people put pressure on me to be who Kendrick was,” said Green. “We were two different people and players, and I don’t think people understood that. This was one of the true Celtics who was leaving, and they figured since I was coming in that I was going to be the same. But we’re two different players, two different personalities. Everything was different about the whole situation. Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green 

Without a doubt, Jeff Green could put together the best highlight package of any Celtic. Just ask him. “Of course,” Green said. “There’s nobody to compare. You can’t compare anybody on this team to me in that category.” “I can’t compete with Jeff,” Celtics captain Paul Pierce admitted. No one else can slash to the basket and dunk with such authority. “That’s my style of play, get in the open floor and make plays,” he said. Worcester Telegram & Gazette

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Jeff Green 

League sources pin that as a long shot, especially with Garnett staying put. Still, the Celtics are intrigued by the recent play of Jeff Green and the feeling is that he could blossom if he didn’t feel he needed to defer to Pierce. But Pierce remains one of the team’s most popular veterans, and shipping him off without getting full value would be a risky move. Sporting News

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Trade, Jeff Green, Kevin Garnett 

A. Sherrod Blakely: #Celticstalk: #Celtics not all that interested in trading 2 players (Green, Bass) for one (Josh Smith). Not enough bodies as it is now. Twitter @SherrodbCSN

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Brandon Bass, Josh Smith, Jeff Green 

I’ve heard for a few weeks now that Boston is salivating over Atlanta forward Josh Smith and would be receptive to unloading Brandon Bass and Jeff Green to obtain him. It’s no secret Brooklyn wouldn’t mind Smith, either. The Nets, some league officials insist, apparently are offering forward Kris Humphries and swingman MarShon Brooks. Racine Journal-Times

Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Trade, Brandon Bass, Josh Smith, Jeff Green 

Green was diagnosed with an aortic root aneurysm in December 2011, six and a half years after Turiaf was discovered to have a similar condition. The Clippers’ benevolent big man heard about Green and said he knew “every single moment” that he would go through. “When I heard about it, that it he was going to be out for a while and that he had to undergo open heart surgery I just reached out to him,” Turiaf said. “You always need someone to be able to talk to you and tell what to expect. “It’s big fraternity, the open heart surgery survivors. But we try to stick with each other because it’s a tough process.” NBA.com

Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Clippers, Ronny Turiaf, Injuries, Jeff Green 

Jeff Green: I was highly upset when I heard @Jared Sullinger didn't make the rookie game...he deserved it Twitter @unclejeffgreen

Boston Celtics, Jeff Green, Jared Sullinger 

Jessica Camerato: Was surprised when Jeff Green told me this: "My (heart) injury is actually easier to come back from (than ACL injury).The doctor said that." Twitter @JCameratoNBA

Boston Celtics, Rajon Rondo, Injuries, Jeff Green