07/03/2008

PC basketball team has home-and-home series with Villanova, Rutgers and Cincinnati
PROVIDENCE — The Big East has released its scheduling grid for the 2009 season, with Providence College facing off against Cincinnati, Rutgers and Villanova in home-and-home games.

06/27/2008

New Mexico’s Giddens is Celtics’ first-round pick
Guard J.R. Giddens is an athletic player who turned Boston on with his defense. Later on, the Celts add two second-rounders.

URI’s Will Daniels goes undrafted
The NBA Draft concluded last night without a team calling Will Daniels’ name.

06/26/2008

The NBA Draft: Celtics will have to wait, hope
Danny Ainge, Boston’s director of operations, has a list of 23 players on his board who could fit into pick No. 30.

URI's Daniels is hoping to get picked in Draft
Former URI star Will Daniels has spent much of the spring trying to improve his NBA stock.

06/20/2008

O'Shea reportedly will become Bryant's basketball coach
The school has an announcement scheduled for Monday

06/19/2008

McNamara: The Celtics’ title run, up close and behind the scenes
BOSTON — It took 59 days and a record 26 postseason games, but the Boston Celtics are the deserving NBA champions today.

06/18/2008

No doubt about it - Celtics roll to 17th title
BOSTON — When the moment they had all dreamed of finally arrived, the emotion poured from their bodies.

For Celtics players and coach, a moment to give thanks
BOSTON - Doc Rivers has pushed the concept of mental toughness all year.

Rivers helped teach Garnett what it means to be a Celtic
BOSTON - ``This is the reason we came here,'' said Kevin Garnett. ``This is it, right here.''

His son OK, Allen returns in record-setting fashion
BOSTON - The Celtics' Ray Allen was at the Garden and shooting jumpers nearly four hours before last night's game. The Celtics were happy to see him.

06/17/2008

Sixth sense: Celtics like their chances to clinch tonight
It’s time to see if the home-court crutch is enough to save the Boston Celtics.

06/16/2008

Lakers 103, Celtics 98 -- L.A. takes the fifth, forces series back to Boston
The Celtics had their chances to nail down banner No. 17 last night at Staples Center but the Los Angeles Lakers weren't ready to die. With their season hanging in the balance, the Lakers made all the tough plays in the final few minutes and gutted out a 103-98 victory in Game Five of the NBA Finals.

Lakers 103, Celtics 98 -- Garnett: "I played like garbage tonight"
Dogged by almost instant foul trouble, Kevin Garnett scored 13 points and grabbed 14 rebounds but was clearly outplayed by Pau Gasol (19 points, 13 boards) during key stretches of the game.

Lakers 103, Celtics 98 -- Ray Allen rushes to airport due to child's illness

Lakers 103, Celtics 98 -- Perkins may not play Tuesday
The Celtics' center is very sore and his return looks doubtful right now

Lakers 103, Celtics 98 -- Bryant's steal was the defensive play of the game
Bryant pokes the ball away from Paul Pierce with just 40 seconds left in a 97-95 game, and Lamar Odom scoops up the loose ball and feeds a breaking Bryant for an easy layup and a four-point lead.

Lakers 103, Celtics 98 -- This time Lakers played with passion, toughness
For the first time in the series, the Lakers matched or exceeded the toughness and energy of the Celtics.

Lakers prove too tough, keep series alive
Boston’s Kevin Garnett is hindered by foul trouble all night, and the Celtics are hurt by a late Paul Pierce turnover.

Five not a lucky number for Celtics
LOS ANGELES — Their failure to close out the NBA Finals in five games was no surprise to anyone familiar with the Celtics’ history.

Final Words
“I just tried to read the play. I got my hands on the ball, got out and got a dunk.”

Paul Pierce looks to ice win for Celts in L.A.
The Celtics forward grew up in Los Angeles and took up basketball against the backdrop of the same classic rivalry of which he is now a major player.

Recent success boosts Boston’s spirits on road
LOS ANGELES — The Celtics had won three of their last five playoff road games entering last night’s Game Five. That’s quite a difference from the six-game road losing streak that built up over the first two rounds of the playoffs.

06/15/2008

The Boston Celtics are only one victory away from winning the NBA Finals
LOS ANGELES — One came from the Nets, another from the Heat and a third from the Clippers.

Bryant gets set to dig Lakers out of 3-1 hole
LOS ANGELES — While Celtics fans from coast to coast are shining the NBA championship trophy for their heroes, there is another team in the mix that is promising not to die quickly.

06/14/2008

Anatomy of a Miracle
Sharpshooting by James Posey and Eddie House and a second-half disappearance by the Lakers fueled the Celtics’ comeback.

Extra rest day could be elixir to get injured players on floor
LOS ANGELES — The Celtics woke up with big smiles on their faces yesterday but their bodies are sore.

06/13/2008

Celtics 97, Lakers 91 - A comeback for all time
LOS ANGELES — Now that’s what champions are made of.

Celtics can use extra time off to recuperate
LOS ANGELES - The Celtics can certainly use the two days off before Game Five on Sunday.

Allen's crossover move is the dagger to the Lakers' heart
LOS ANGELES -- Big plays always get plenty of cheers, but when someone makes a play that leaves a defender grasping at air, fans remember.

Celtics focused on closing series out in L.A.
LOS ANGELES - The Celtics are one win away from the ultimate goal, the NBA championship.

Boston bench comes through again, led by Posey and House
LOS ANGELES - The Celtics’ bench has enjoyed big games throughout the playoffs, and last night was no different.

Odom has someone watching his back
LOS ANGELES — If anyone can sympathize with Lamar Odom’s struggles in the first three games of the NBA Finals, it’s Jerry DeGregorio.

06/12/2008

Preparation of Ray Allen is anything but routine
He’s the first Celtic to step on the floor, launching his jump shot three hours before games, getting a feel for the court, the background, everything.

Rondo's ankle is Celtics' latest cause for concern
LOS ANGELES - Don't expect any of the drama afforded Paul Pierce and his knee sprain, but the Celtics have another injury concern in the NBA Finals.

Kobe's response to Schilling: Go Yankees!
LOS ANGELES -- The Red Sox have an all-encompassing impact in the sports world and Curt Schilling's unfavorable musings about Kobe Bryant's treatment of his teammates in Game Two was still gaining reaction yesterday.

Vujacic: 'No doubt' series will return to Boston
LOS ANGELES -- You have to love unabashed confidence, and that's what Lakers shooter Sasha Vujacic owns, in spades.

Fatigue caught up with Celtics in Game Three
LOS ANGELES -- The Lakers' Phil Jackson said he thought Kevin Garnett looked a bit gassed late in Game Three, and Paul Pierce was so winded at one point that he used a timeout for his own recovery.

06/11/2008

Lakers 87, Celtics 81: Way too many holes in this Boston performance
LOS ANGELES — For much of last night’s Game Three of the NBA Finals, the Boston Celtics seemed to play as if they were wondering just how badly they could perform and still win a huge basketball game.

Rivers declines to blame officials
LOS ANGELES -- Doc Rivers kept looking up at the scoreboard and wondering just how his team was staying in last night’s game.

Rondo's ankle should be fine; Garnett disappointed in himself
LOS ANGELES -- Rajon Rondo turned his ankle early in the third quarter leading a fast break and had to leave the game.

Odom continues to struggle through Finals
LOS ANGELES - Lamar Odom still hasn’t played well in the NBA Finals, but he insists he’s not getting frustrated.

Odom falling short of expectations
LOS ANGELES — Phil Jackson certainly has lofty expectations for Lamar Odom.

Familiar turf: Pierce feels right at home in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES — When Paul Pierce was blossoming into a high school All-American, wearing the green and white uniform of the Inglewood (Calif.) Sentinels, he dreamed of nights like last night.

06/09/2008

Celtics 108, Lakers 102: Boston survives L.A. run to take 2-0 series lead
BOSTON – It’s tough not to give the Los Angeles Lakers plenty of credit after last night’s Game Two of the NBA Finals.

Bryant was less than dominant again
BOSTON -- He finished with 30, a better night than he had in the first game, but once again Kobe Bryant was something less than Superman.

Celtics Journal: P.J. Brown proves he can still play
BOSTON - When the Celtics added P.J. Brown on Feb. 27 as a free agent, they weren't really sure what they were getting. On the floor, anyway.

Lakers Journal: New Garden has given Finals foe a cool reception
BOSTON — The old Boston Garden didn’t have air conditioning, so it could be a sweat box at times, especially during the NBA Finals in late spring.

06/07/2008

Truth or Fiction? Phil Jackson questions severity of Pierce's injury
BOSTON –– At full, New Big Three strength, the Boston Celtics like their chances against any basketball quintet on the planet. With a key missing piece or two, however, things get a bit murky.

Format puts press on Boston
BOSTON –– The late, great Red Auerbach had many battles with the NBA offices in his career but few upset the Celtics’ patriarch more than the change in format of the league’s championship series.

06/06/2008

Celtics Journal: Team's history never fazed Doc
BOSTON - Doc Rivers never feared trying to live up to the Celtics' mystique and demand for excellence. In fact, he welcomed it.

Tranghese plans to leave as Big East commissioner in year
PROVIDENCE - After 30 years of loyal service and 19 in the boss' chair, Mike Tranghese has decided that it's someone else's chance to steer the Big East.

Celtics 98, Lakers 88: East Coast grit triumphs in Game One
BOSTON – As Kobe Bryant saw one jump shot after another fall off the rim last night, his frustration level grew along with the heat inside the hearts of the Boston Celtics’ defenders.

Odom: Lakers lost their edge in second half
BOSTON -- Lamar Odom, the former URI star, felt the Lakers might have gotten too comfortable in the second half last night.

Lakers Journal: No escort needed now for Jabbar
BOSTON — There once was a time when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar would have received a police escort into TD Banknorth Garden . . . or its predecessor, the old Boston Garden.