Sam Cassell has had his share of hiccups fitting in with the Celtics thus far, but the team still believes it has a better chance at a title with him in the fold.
Cassell's progress has been hindered by the fact the team has had just one full practice since he signed more than three weeks ago. But his new teammates expect him to be an important backup to Rajon Rondo. "Sam brings that element of a guy who's been there," said Paul Pierce. "He gives you that extra swagger. We feel his confidence in the locker room in the way he talks.
"Listen to this. I mean, honest to God, before the game (in Houston) started, Sam said, 'Man, we're going to go out here and win by a blowout,' -- and you thought, man, this guy is a confident dude. He really believes that. And then we go out and win like we did and he comes in and says, -- 'I told y'all so.' He just instills that confidence. He's an extra mouth. He's been there and done that, so you're going to listen to him."
Pierce then smiled and added, "Wait until he starts learning the plays."
Indeed, Cassell has already been a factor, hitting the key trey in the win over San Antonio, and even when he struggled in Dallas (1-for-9 shooting), he was still the one who found Ray Allen for the big three-pointer.
"Yeah, having Sam -- having that extra point guard -- is big for us," said Doc Rivers. "But we've got to get it all together with him. You know, Sam comes in and our rhythm gets off track. We've got to get that right. So when we get back off the trip we're going to have practice time, and I think that'll be the most important time of the year for us."
CELTICS 117, SUNS 97: The Celts got a combined 57 points from Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce to stop a two-game losing streak with a pull-away home win over Phoenix Wednesday.
The game was even at the half, but they held the Suns to 16 points in the third quarter to take a lead they would not relinquish. Pierce had 12 of his 27 points in the last quarter as the Celtics went ahead by as many as 23. The Celtics held the Suns to two fast break points.
"I heard everyone saying that this is an important game because we lost two, but I love this team because they're so mentally tough," said Doc Rivers.
Amare Stoudemire had 32 points for Phoenix, but Rajon Rondo outscored Steve Nash 14-12 and Kendrick Perkins had 13 points and 10 boards to Shaquille O'Neal's 16 and seven.
