BOSTON -- Jared Sullinger was at a loss to explain how his Boston Celtics could win while committing a season-high 28 turnovers. "I honestly dont know," he said. Try this: 20 points, nine assists and seven rebounds by Rajon Rondo, a 62-37 rebounding advantage by the Celtics and a horrible 4-for-30 shooting performance on 3-pointers by the Nets. The result was a 91-84 victory in which Brooklyn never led and had its four-game winning streak stopped Friday night. The rebounding "was obviously the difference in the game for us, from our standpoint. That, and they missed the 3s," Boston coach Brad Stevens said. "Id like to say that it was this outstanding 3-point defence, but I think when you re-watch it, its a lot of open 3s they missed." The Celtics scored the first five points and won for just the second time in nine games. And they held off Brooklyn after an 11-point run cut the lead to 70-68 with 2:02 left in the third quarter. The Celtics came back to take a 78-70 lead entering the final quarter and led by at least seven points the rest of the way. "We shared the ball pretty well with our team, and theirs," Stevens said after watching the Celtics commit twice as many turnovers as Brooklyn, "so, overall, it was at least a step in the right direction." The Nets were led by Joe Johnson with 21 points and Deron Williams with 20 as they fell back to .500 two days after going over the mark for the first time this season. The Celtics (21-41) were coming off a very poor performance in a 108-88 loss to Golden State on Wednesday night. "We need to keep working, keep grinding and understand we cant take anyone lightly," Nets coach Jason Kidd said. Jason Collins, the NBAs first openly gay player, did not play for the Nets for the first time in seven games since signing a 10-day contract Feb. 23. Collins, who played for the Celtics last season, signed a second 10-day contract Wednesday. The Celtics got 15 points from Jeff Green and 14 from Jerryd Bayless. Sullinger led all rebounders with 12. But Rondo was the key, despite his seven turnovers. Rondo missed the first 40 games recovering from off-season knee surgery and has shown an improved shooting touch recently. He hit three of six 3-pointers Friday. "He did a tremendous job coming into the season working on his jumper constantly," Sullinger said. "Now hes starting to become the Rondo we all know every day." Paul Pierce scored 10 points in his second appearance in Boston since the blockbuster trade that sent him and Kevin Garnett to the Nets in the off-season. Pierce spent 15 seasons with the Celtics after they drafted him with the 10th pick in 1998. He received light applause when he was introduced with the other Nets starters. Garnett missed his fourth straight game with back spasms. "Every time I come into this gym, its going to be emotion. Not like last time, though," Pierce said. "We just didnt have any rhythm on offence or defence." Pierce and Garnett each scored six points in their first game in Boston this season, an 85-79 Brooklyn win Jan. 26. Both were emotional during and after video tributes on the video screen above centre court. On Friday, the Celtics led 53-41 at halftime -- after the Nets missed all 17 of their 3-pointers -- and 70-57 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Brooklyn scored the next 11 points with Shaun Livingston starting the spurt with two free throws and Andray Blatche following with a 3-pointer. Andrei Kirilenko made a three-point play, Marcus Thornton sank a layup and Johnson hit a free throw. Green ended the run with a three-point play, the Celtics led 78-70 entering the fourth quarter and stayed ahead by at least seven the rest of the way. Despite all those turnovers. "I remember Bobby Knight on ESPN said the team that had the most turnovers is going to lose," Sullinger said. "I guess we exceeded that expectation." NOTES: Celtics C Vitor Faverani will miss the rest of the season after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee to repair a torn lateral meniscus on Friday. ... Pierce made four of 11 shots and is 6-for-24 with 20 points in three games against his former team. . "Rob brings a wealth of coaching experience, having worked both in Canada and overseas in player development," Canada Soccer technical director Tony Fonseca said in a release. . Sami Salo scored two goals as the Canucks overcame a hat-trick from Edmonton Oiler rookie sensation Ryan Nugent-Hopkins to win 4-3 in NHL action Saturday.
http://www.cheapncaajerseysfastshipping.com/. With the Canadiens leading by one to start the third period, Price turned away 16 shots by the Panthers in the final frame to give Montreal a 2-1 victory over Florida on Monday night. The Panthers (16-21-6) outshot Montreal 16-10 in the final frame, but were repeatedly frustrated by Price, who made 26 saves on the night. . The shortstop still grieves, but it will be nights like the one Segura had in a 5-2 victory Monday over the Cincinnati Reds that will provide some distraction. . Rasmussen didnt have a decision during his four appearances in May, when he gave up two hits and no runs in two innings. Toronto used five relievers while pulling off the second-biggest comeback in franchise history on Friday night, rallying from an 8-0 deficit to a 14-9 win.ONE MINUTE BETWEEN LEGENDS Everyone in hockey is thinking about Gordie Howe this week. In lieu of my column, I thought Id bring you a couple of stories from a man who grew up worshipping Gordie, and then got to play with him, if only for the briefest of moments. This is an excerpt from Hall of Famer Brian Kilreas book, They Call Me Killer, which I wrote with him a few years back. Brians words, as told to me. Detroit was always my team. I had three uncles: Hec, Wally, and Kenny. They all played for the Red Wings. Uncle Hec won the Stanley Cup in 1936, two years after I was born. But he was still there in the 40s when I was a kid, so I loved Detroit. Back in those days, the paper wouldnt come until after four, so I would race home from school every day to find out who had the goals and the assists from the game the night before. How many did Gordie get? How about Ted Lindsay? These guys were my idols. I grew, and became a decent player, and as it turns out, a Detroit scout named Alex Smart saw me in Ottawa and told Jimmy Skinner about me. Jimmy was coaching the Hamilton Tiger Cubs in the OHA. They were affiliated with the Red Wings. So they invited me to Hamilton for their training camp in 1953, and I made the team. And they ended up signing me to a contract. JD: Jimmy Skinner would coach Killer for one season in Hamilton before becoming head coach of the Detroit Red Wings. His Wings won the Stanley Cup the next year, 1955. Skinner is credited with starting the tradition of kissing the cup. So I belonged to the Red Wings, but I was still a long way from actually getting there. I spent two years in junior in Hamilton and then four years in Troy, Ohio, of the International League. Troys training camp was always in the same place as the Wings in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan. When our practice was done, Id hurry up and get my gear off to go watch the Wings skate. They were amazing, just like a machine. During the season, we would play in Troy on Sunday afternoon, then I would drive the 180 miles to Detroit to watch the Red Wings play Sunday night. I just loved that team. My second year at that camp, I was just 19, and one day we were all just hanging around the hotel. Gordie Howe comes up to me and says he and Ted Lindsay are going down for an ice cream, and would I like to come along. Would I like to come along?!? Cripes almighty, these guys were world champions and legends! Yes, Id like to come along! So we go get our ice cream, and then we come by a pool hall. Well, I had played a lot of pool as a kid. When I was about 14 in Ottawa, I would ride my bike uptown to this pool hall called The Little LaSalle, over the Centre Theatre. I was up there all the time, so I became pretty good at it. Gordie says, Lets have a game. It was Gordie and I against Ted and his partner, I cant remember who it was (I was a little distracted by the other two guys). I held my own, and we won. Then we went back to the hotel, and now Gordie wants to play ping-pong. Well, it just happens that I had played a lot of ping-pong growing up, too. So Gordie and I won that game as well. It was just a fantastic day for a teenager to get to hang around these guys he idolized. Ted Lindsay: Gordie and were living our dream, too. We were nobody special. So if we were driving to the rink, and the back seat was empty, and a kid like Brian was headed there, wed pick him up. Or go get an ice cream, or shoot a game of pool. We liked to mingle with them, let them know they were part of the organization. We were no better than them. We were worried about making the team, too. JD: (Aside) Did Ted Lindsay just say he and Gordie Howe were worried about making the Red Wings every year?!? Sorry to interrupt. Carry on, Killer. The fact that I could walk around and say hello to Gordie Howe--that was the highlight of my career. I didnt even care if I played a game with Detroit! But I did. One game. It was the 1957-58 season. I was still playing in Troy and the Red Wings had a couple of injuries. One of the guys hurt was Dutch Reibel, who played centre between Gordie and Ted. So they called me up. I was just in the right place at the right time, I guess. It was unbelievable. For a week, I got to practice with the Red Wings, playing centre between Gordie and Ted. They said, Brian, just go to the net, well find you. So I just tried to stay out of the way. Dutch actually came back from his injury, but they still put me in the line-up for a home game against Boston. I was nervous as heck. I just wantted to get dressed and look around the room at these guys.dddddddddddd In warm-up, I was just trying to stay out of everybodys way. These were the names of all the guys I used to watch win Stanley Cups! And here I was, sitting on that bench next to them. It was unreal. I was glued to that bench most of the game. But finally, they put me on. I was on the Detroit Red Wings, playing centre on a line with Gordie Howe and Ted Lindsay! I dont remember much about the shift, probably because I was just in awe, watching Gordie the whole time. Its pretty tough to focus on the opposition when you just want to watch Gordie Howe. It was a pretty uneventful shift, but no harm was done. I didnt do anything dumb in my 40 or 50 seconds out there. I felt good about that. But that was it. One shift. I spent the rest of the game on the bench. I remember it was 1-0 for Boston, and I was sitting near the end of the bench next to Beaver Poile. So Gordie comes over and says to me. Touch this stick for luck, will ya. So I grabbed the stick and said to the stick, Go get a goal! So what happens? Gordie goes out and scores! Then he comes back to the bench, looks at me and says, You think you have another one? But the magic didnt work again. With the score 1-1, Don McKenney comes down the left wing for Boston, right in front of our bench. Al Arbour was playing defence for Detroit. Al stumbled a bit, and McKenney went by him and fired a slapshot. It caught the inside of the post on Terry Sawchuk and went in. Boston beat us 2-1. The next day we got to practice and were all sitting in the room with all our equipment on, but no skates, just shoes. So Al Arbour comes in and Beaver Poile, who is a really funny guy, looks at Als shoes and says, Hey Al, those look like the skates you had on yesterday on McKenneys goal! Everybody just broke up. Al did too, he had a great sense of humour. It was a wonderful time, just being in the same room as those guys. I was sent back down to Troy shortly after that. And I would never get back to Detroit. In fact, that one shift would be the last one I would get in the National Hockey League for eight-and-a-half years. But what a memory. Ill never forget the night I ran into Gordie at the Hall of Fame ceremony a few years back. I was coming down the escalator to the main lobby, and Gordie happened to be coming up the escalator, and we said hello, and started chatting. I was supposed to be taping an interview with one of those Toronto radio stations, and I knew someone was going to be looking for me. But I was not going to interrupt Gordie Howe. I didnt care if they had to wait an hour for me. He talked about Colleen and his kids, and his dog. It was like he was just happy to be able to talk, not for an interview, but just to someone from his past who really cared about what he was up to. We must have talked for three quarters of an hour. It was great. Then someone came and found him, and he had to go do some interview, and I had to go find my radio guy. But man, was it ever wonderful just spending time with the greatest hockey player ever. I think he is. My friend Don Cherry says its Bobby Orr, and what Wayne Gretzky did was unbelievable, but if you ask Wayne who the greatest player ever is, he says Gordie Howe. To me, its Gordie because he played in what was almost the same as the dead-ball era in baseball. The games back then were all 2-1, 3-2. They didnt have those 7-6, 8-5 games they had after hockey expanded and we went to 20-some, and then 30 teams. There werent enough good players for 30 teams. There still isnt! Everybody had great teams when there were only six of them. And all six had an all-star calibre goalie. So for Gordie to amass the numbers he did, it was amazing. I mean Bobby Orr would have been a star in that day, and Wayne Gretzky would have been a star, but would they have the same numbers Gordie Howe did? I dont think so. When I talk to Gordie and Ted, I never ask them if they remember that one game, that one shift I played with them. Im sure they dont. And it doesnt matter. Im just honoured they remember my name. Ted Lindsay: I remember dont remember the details of that game or that shift. But I remember the kid. And he did just fine. (THEY CALL ME KILLER, HarperCollins) POSTSCRIPT: I ran into Brian at The Hockey Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony Monday night. He spent a few minutes in front of Gordies plaque, and said a few prayers to his old teammate. We all send along the same sentiments to Gordie and his family. ' ' '
