The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has requested waivers on
forward Brandon Wallace.  The Celtics roster now stands at 13.
Wallace signed as an undrafted free agent on July 10, 2007. The 6′9”
forward out of the University of South Carolina did not appear in any regular
season games for the Celtics.  He averaged 1.2 points in 4.7 minutes per game
during the preseason and was assigned to the Utah Flash of the NBA Development
League on November 13, 2007.  He averaged 12.5 points and 9.2 rebounds in six
games for the Flash.

NBA.com reports: The Celtics are grooving on defense, and it’s got them
riding a nine-game streak. The Celts lead the NBA in points allowed, FG and TP
percentage allowed, and rebounding differential. Boston’s PPG differential
is +14.2; the diff for the second-best stoppers, the Pistons, is +7.9. The
C’s sit at No. 2 and 3 in SPG and steal differential, and are the No. 1
Scrooge with dimes, allowing 17.3 per game – exactly how many they let Toronto
have Sunday. The Raptors normally dish 23 APG. “The plays we usually make just
weren’t there,” Chris Bosh said after the C’s 90-77 clampdown.
Boston is 20-2 because it believes “stop” means “go”: “We’re
trying to have the defense fuel the offense,” said Kevin Garnett, “and
it’s been working.”

NBA News - Boston (15-2), Orlando (16-4), San Antonio (16-3) and Phoenix
(15-4) each have a chance of winning at least 20 of their first 25 games. The
last time four teams started the season with at least 20 wins in their first 25
games was 1996: Chicago (22-3), Houston (21-4), Detroit (20-5) and Utah (20-5).
The last time three teams established the feat was 2004: San Antonio (20-5),
Phoenix (22-3) and Seattle (20-5).

The Boston Celtics announced today that they have assigned rookie guard Gabe
Pruitt to their NBA Development League affiliate Utah Flash.  Pruitt is the
team’s third assignment to the NBA Development League this season and the
second time for Pruitt.
Pruitt was averaging 2.0 points and 1.3 assists in 6.0 minutes per game at the
time of the assignment.  The 6′4 guard had appeared in one game since his
recall from the Flash on November 26, 2007.  Pruitt played in 13 minutes
against the New York Knicks on November 29 scoring two points, grabbing one
rebound and recording four assists.

The Boston Celtics’ Doc Rivers and the San Antonio Spurs’ Gregg
Popovich today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the
Month, respectively, for games played in October and November.
Rivers guided the Celtics to a 13-2 (.867) record last month, including eight
straight wins to open the season. Boston outscored opponents by a 13.7 ppg
margin while holding teams to a .410 field goal percentage. The Celtics recorded
a perfect 8-0 mark at TD Banknorth Garden, besting the opposition at home by
21.6 points over that stretch. Owners of the NBA’s top record at
month’s end, the Celtics enjoyed the franchise’s best November since
1985-86 when Boston opened 13-1.
Popovich led the Spurs to a 14-3 (.824) record in October and November, tying
the franchise record for best start after 17 games, last accomplished in
2005-06. San Antonio, which won five straight from Nov. 16 through Nov. 25, was
a perfect 9-0 at AT&T Center. The Spurs committed a league-low 12.0
turnovers per game, including setting a franchise record low with three
turnovers in a 128-110 win over Orlando on Nov. 21.
Other nominees for the Coach of the Month were Dallas’ Avery Johnson,
Detroit’s Flip Saunders, Houston’s Rick Adelman, Orlando’s
Stan Van Gundy, Phoenix’s Mike D’Antoni and Utah’s Jerry
Sloan.