<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">They are the champions of the Atlantic Division and you know what? They think it's a big deal and they have the T-shirt (courtesy of Reebok) to prove it. * They will be the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference in the playoffs, and thus will play the No. 6 seed. The above two developments were ensured not only by Boston's win, but by the Sixers' loss to the resurgent Nets. * In all likelihood, we're looking at a Boston-Indiana first-round series for the third straight season. (Yup, the fans can start counting when Jermaine O'Neal goes to the line.) The Celtics need only one win or one Pacers loss to clinch the home-court advantage in the first round. The Pacers need one win, or one Philadelphia loss, to claim the No. 6 position.</div> Peter May discusses the Celtics division title. http://www.boston.com/sports/basketball/ce...ivision?pg=full <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">``I'm telling you, he does not get enough credit for his leadership abilities, and I thought tonight was another example,'' the coach said. ``He was vocal at halftime. He was vocal in the timeouts.'' Said Pierce, ``I just try to keep us motivated. We didn't play that good in the first half, and I just wanted to try to tell the guys at halftime what's on the line. You know, if everybody's in they've got to be in. Who cares what Philly does. We've got to go out and take it if we want it. And we did. It always feels good when you join in something and you guys are in it together and you go out and accomplish something. It feels good when you do it as a team.'' But there is still much to achieve. ``It was one of our goals,'' Rivers said. ``Now we have more.'</div> Steve Bulpett talks about how winning the Atlantic is just the first of many goals for the C's. http://celtics.bostonherald.com/celtics/vi...984&format=text <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> ``You've got to figure Indiana is going to be a tougher team to go against than Washington,'' said Paul Pierce [news], focusing on the Green's two most likely foes. ``They've got more experience in the playoffs, more veteran players, a great coach. Washington hasn't really been proven in the playoffs yet. They've shown they're talented and they've made the playoffs, but the playoffs is a whole different game. And for most of the guys on that team, this is their first time making the playoffs. Indiana knows what to expect. That could make them more dangerous than Washington.'' The Pacers have lost two straight, but they got Jermaine O'Neal back from his shoulder injury yesterday. However, they will still be without the suspended Ron Artest in the postseason. What does that mean? ``Fewer bruises,'' Pierce said. </div> Bulpett's notebook covers the Pacers, the t-shirts, and Eric Williams. http://celtics.bostonherald.com/celtics/vi...983&format=text <div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post">"The last play, (there was) no blocked shot on it with Wade getting all the way to the basket, but Kendrick Perkins came from the other side, and made an incredible effort," said Rivers. "His presence (meant) Wade had to adjust his shot, and that's the only way he misses it." Perk finished with two points, three boards, and a block in his 10 minutes of action, numbers that certainly don't justify his contribution. "Al played with a lot of energy, and all I had to do was come in and keep up along with him, and we made it work on the glass," he said. "Me and Al, we play together every day in practice. We're just really waiting for our time. We've got a couple of veterans in front of us that can play. We're not on a losing team, we've got a good franchise, so we just got to keep our head and working every day and proving every day." </div> More positive press for Al and Kendrick. http://www.southcoasttoday.com/daily/04-05...05/c10sp482.htm
