HoopsHype.com Rumors

Celtics fans at TD Garden in Boston chanted “Honey Nut Cheerios” at Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony after he received his second personal foul in the first quarter of Game 6 of an Eastern Conference first-round playoff series on Friday night. The chant referenced a trash talk exchange between Anthony and Celtics forward/center Kevin Garnett from back in January that allegedly involved Anthony’s wife, actress LaLa Vazquez. Anthony was suspended by the NBA for one game after pursuing Kevin Garnett to the Celtics’ team bus following a Knicks loss in which the two players received technical fouls and were involved in some heated trash talk. Rumors surfaced after the game that Vazquez was the subject of some of Garnett’s woofing. SI.com

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett 

Kevin Garnett reportedly said something insensitive about LaLa during a January game at the Garden. Anthony approached Garnett on the court, outside the Celtics' locker room and in the tunnel by the team bus after the game. "She always gets thrown into the mix of the Boston Celtic series, so I would be upset if I was her,'' Anthony said Friday morning. "She's her own person at the end of the day, so she has the right to say whatever she wants to say. "As far as anything goes, basketball is the first priority. No disrespect to anybody else, but I'm trying to win this series. I told ya'll all year long that I would let no negativity in our locker room, into our circle, and that's the way it's going to be.'' Newsday

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett 

Frank Isola: Carmelo on Kevin Garnett pulling on his arm. "He yanked my arm out. It felt like it came out a little bit. It's better than I expected." Twitter @FisolaNYDN

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett 

Knicks forward Carmelo Anthony said his shoulder was OK after getting tangled with Kevin Garnett in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's 92-86 loss to the Celtics. "I guess he was trying to take my arm away," Anthony said of Garnett. "I got kind of tangled up with him, kind of yanked my shoulder a little bit. I'm fine." Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Carmelo Anthony, Kevin Garnett 

When asked about his future Tuesday before practice, Garnett said he was only thinking about Wednesday’s Game 5 against the Knicks, who lead this first-round series, 3-1. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said he wasn’t sure about Garnett’s future, but added, “I think he loves this team. I think he likes the guys. I think he’s watching Jeff [Green], the way he’s starting to play. I think he knows [Rajon] Rondo comes back. “I know one thing: I don’t think anyone can make a decision about any of us right now during the season. As a coach, if you asked me in the middle of the season if I would be coming back next year, every year, [the answer would be] no. Boston Globe

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett 

Asked if he’s allowed himself to think what might become of these Celtics if they return a healthy Rajon Rondo and Jared Sullinger next season, Kevin Garnett wouldn’t take the bait. “I haven’t given any thought to next year,” he said. “I’m just trying to focus on this game coming up.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett 

When he was rushed back in 4:10 later, the Knicks were within 10. The Celtics kept the lead at nine, but when Garnett (13 points, six assists) sat just 42.6 seconds from the end of the third, the Knicks added six quick points and the Celtics stared at another abysmal third quarter, what Paul Pierce called their “Achilles heel” of the series. “When they’re making their run, you’re trying to figure out how to stop the momentum and you’re trying to create a run of your own,” Garnett said. “It’s not easy. They know what they’re doing, and that’s what they’ve been doing all year. To turn that off is difficult.” New York Post

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett 

Marc Stein: Celtics? One Pierce confidante says "no way" PP even thinks of retiring after NYK series. KG surely tougher call but I still say he plays on Twitter @ESPNSteinLine

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett 

It’s not that they didn’t want to win Game 3 against the Knicks. They desperately wanted it. Not just to avoid a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 hole in the first round of these NBA Playoffs, but to mend their city’s broken heart. To give Bostonians something to believe in. The Celtics just couldn’t will anything better than a 90-76 defeat. “Obviously, the result is not what we wanted,” said Garnett, “but looking in the stands, seeing people drunk, having fun and high-fiving for the most part was good. It was a good two-and-a-half hour diversion if you will.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Kevin Garnett 

If the C’s want anything beyond another short-lived diversion on Sunday, they need more than Garnett’s ever-beating heart, which manufactured 12 points and 17 rebounds on a tough shooting night (5-13 FG). “I’m going to play until it’s over,” said Garnett, who contributed 35 minutes in the loss. “I’m not usually broken. It’s always been my mentality. It always probably will. That’s what it is. I’ve been to the bottom before. I know what it is. I’m a fighter at the end of the day, but it takes more than one person.” WEEI.com

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Kevin Garnett 

Ainge on KG's health: "He expects to be at his best tomorrow night. He looked good in practice today. He's moving well." Twitter @brohrbach

Boston Celtics, Injuries, Kevin Garnett 

Ben Rohrbach: Ainge on KG's health: "He expects to be at his best tomorrow night. He looked good in practice today. He's moving well." Twitter @brohrbach

Boston Celtics, Danny Ainge, Injuries, Kevin Garnett 

Jeff Zillgitt: NBA fines Doc Rivers $25K for his criticism of officials after Game 2. He called fouls on Kevin Garnett "horrendous." Story soon. Twitter @JeffZillgitt

Boston Celtics, Doc Rivers, Kevin Garnett 

Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers said center Kevin Garnett suffered something similar to a hip pointer during Tuesday's loss to the New York Knicks in Game 2 of an Eastern Conference first-round series at Madison Square Garden. Rivers stressed the injury is not serious and he does not expect him to keep Garnett off the floor moving forward. ESPN.com

Boston Celtics, Injuries, Kevin Garnett 

Evans Clinchy: Doc on fouls called on KG: "They were horrendous, and they had a huge effect on us. Coulda gone either way; they all went against Kevin." Twitter @evansclinchy

Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett, Referees 

“We’ve got to play through Kevin a lot more,” Pierce said yesterday at the team hotel. “He’s one of our best passers. I mean he’s one of the most unselfish players, so we have to do a better job of getting him the ball, a lot more than he got it yesterday. “Doc said he wants Kevin to be aggressive, he wants him to take 20 shots, but even when we run plays for Kevin, he’s so responsible that he’s going to find the open man and be responsible with the ball. He usually ends up getting four or five assists. So we have to do a better job of involving him because he’s good at doing a lot of playmaking duties.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Paul Pierce, Kevin Garnett 

Garnett believes that his own shots will come. “Well, I thought from an offensive standpoint I didn’t have a lot of different opportunities,” he said. “I should have had shots and stuff. Some went down; some didn’t. But I try not to let that predicate my energy or level of play. So I tried to (focus on) ball movement. I thought I moved the ball very well (and) got other guys open. My game surely can be a little more aggressive, obviously, but consistent with my overall game.” Boston Herald

Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett 

When Sasha McHale died, it seemed that the entire NBA hugged McHale, just as his players had at the memorial service and as Kevin Garnett would do so memorably after McHale returned in mid-December and the Rockets played the Celtics. By then, it was clear that some pain cannot be cried out. "He and I sit beside each other on road trips," Sampson said. "He was, understandably so, withdrawn. You'd catch him just staring off into space a lot. You knew what he was thinking about. After we made the playoffs, I texted him and told him how proud I was of him. When you think about the ups and downs of a season and what he has had to do, it really is incredible." Houston Chronicle

Boston Celtics, Houston Rockets, Kevin McHale, Kevin Garnett, Kelvin Sampson 

Kevin Garnett was anything Friday but the trash talker that sent Carmelo Anthony into a post-game tizzy earlier this season. The Celtics forward only complimented the Knicks and their star player on the eve of Saturday's playoff opener between the longtime rivals. "We are," Garnett responded to a question about which team he believes is the underdog in the first-round series. "The Knicks are the better team. They've deserved it. They've earned it and rightfully so. I think Melo is playing unbelievable. I think J.R. (Smith), just they're whole team, they're playing with a lot of confidence. That's what you want going into the playoffs." New York Daily News

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Kevin Garnett 

So here comes Anthony roaring into the playoffs tomorrow at the Garden playing the best basketball of his life, except the proud, old Celtics won’t care much that he led the league in scoring. If it won’t be Doc Rivers doing everything in his power to take Melo out of the game and make others beat him, it will be Kevin Garnett doing everything in his power to get in Anthony’s head and make it snap, crackle, pop once again. Kenyon Martin says Melo need not worry. “I got it,” Martin told The Post yesterday. In what way? “It won’t happen, man, ’cause he ain’t gotta do all that bangin’ and all that with KG no more,” K-Mart said. Because? “Cause I’m here,” he said. New York Post

Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Doc Rivers, Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin, Kevin Garnett