Kevin Garnett Archives March 2008 Kevin Garnett Archives March 2008   KEVIN GARNETT LEADS CELTICS BUT CAN'T FIND WIN March 25, 2008 - Kevin Garnett scored 18, Leon Powe had 16 and Ray Allen scored 14 for Boston, which lost its second straight after winning 14 out of 15. The Celtics long ago clinched a playoff berth, and they played as if it didn't matter down the stretch. "These games are crucial to us, too,'' Garnett said. "We are trying to establish something, and a rhythm going into the playoffs. So these are big games for us, too, just as it is for all the other teams coming in here.'' Boston never trailed in the first quarter and led for all but a few minutes of the second. But it was tied at 66 near the end of the third before House hit a 3-pointer, and Glen Davis made a couple of free throws to give the Celtics a five-point lead after three. House hit another 3 early in the fourth to make it 78-68, and he added a left-side jumper to give the Celtics an 80-69 lead with 8:20 left. The Sixers scored the next 19 points - five by Young, four by Louis Williams and a steal and emphatic breakaway dunk by Iguodala to tie it. BOSTON CELTICS VS. PHILADELPHIA 76ERS GAME HIGHLIGHTS Iguodala finished off another fast break to give the Sixers an 82-80 lead, then hit one of two free throws, another steal-and-dunk, another free throw and a fallaway jumper to make it 88-80. Andre Iguodala scored 10 straight points during a 19-0 run that brought Philadelphia back from a double-digit, fourth-quarter deficit Monday night, and the 76ers beat the Boston Celtics 95-90 to move above .500 for the first time this season. "They are making a good run at the playoffs over the last month and a half,'' Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. "They will be a dangerous team in the playoffs.'' "It shows how hard we've worked to get back,'' said Iguodala, who finished with 28 points. "But I think we still have to have that mentality like we're a team that's still under .500 and still fighting. It's not over yet. We've gotten to a point where we want to be, which is over .500, but we still don't have an 'X' by our name'' to signify a playoff berth. Eddie House's 3-pointer gave Boston an 80-69 lead with 8:20 to play, but the Celtics didn't score again until Pierce hit a free throw with 1:38 left. By that time, the Sixers were on their way to their 18th win in 23 tries, improving their record to 36-35 and moving them into postseason contention. - NBA.com   KEVIN GARNETT LEADS CELTICS TO 10TH STRAIGHT WIN March 12, 2008 - Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen each scored 18 points to lift the Celtics to their season-high 10th straight victory, 111-82 over the Seattle SuperSonics on Wednesday night. "We are talking more than ever and we feel connected,'' Garnett said. "Any team can beat you in this league, but confidence-wise we are strong 1 to 12 and that is a rarity.'' The Celtics, who have their longest win streak since a 14-game run from March 11-April 4, 1986, host Utah on Friday before embarking on a five-game road trip including games at Dallas, San Antonio, Houston and New Orleans. Paul Pierce added 14 points and 11 assists for Boston, which improved to 12-0 at home against the Western Conference. "We are playing well on both ends,'' Pierce said. "We like to share the ball and its contagious and are riding the wave at just the right time.'' Kevin Durant scored 16 points for Seattle, which dropped its sixth straight and has lost 10 of 11. "They went on a run and it was quick,'' Durant said. "It got us off our guard.'' The Sonics had no answers on defense as the Celtics operated effortlessly and had 31 assists on 45 field goals. Boston's average margin of victory in the last five games is 21 points. Seattle has allowed 112 points per game during its losing streak. "They're getting ready for the playoffs and everybody knows that,'' Sonics forward Donyell Marshall said. "We know we're going home, but we have to learn from this.'' Garnett scored nine of Boston's first 13 points in the second half as the Celtics increased the lead to 77-48 with 7:48 remaining in the third quarter. Pierce scored all 14 of his points in the first quarter to help Boston take a 34-24 lead. The Celtics extended the lead to 64-44 at the half thanks to 27 points from their reserves, led by Eddie House with nine. Earl Watson's leaner gave Seattle its final lead of the night at 19-17 before Boston responded with a 23-6 run to break the game open early in the second quarter. Johan Petro had 12 points and 10 rebounds while Watson chipped in with 11 points and seven assists for Seattle, which shot 38 percent from the field. Allen continued his strong shooting as he has converted 27 of his last 35 shots, including 11-of-16 from beyond the arc over a three-game span. - NBA.com