The Heat are garnering plenty of attention for their 17-game win streak, but the second-hottest team in the East is the other team that made it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. The Celtics have won five in a row, and beat the Hawks last night to pull into a tie with Atlanta for this year's sixth seed. Boston is only a game and a half behind the Nets for the fourth seed and home-court advantage in the first round, so while we wait to find out how far the C's can climb, here's the latest on the team:
- D.J. White traveled with the Celtics to Oklahoma City in advance of tomorrow's matchup, and "all indications" are that White will get another contract from the Celtics once his 10-day deal expires tonight, as Chris Forsberg of ESPNBoston.com writes.
- Should he stay, he'll be particularly motivated for Boston's next two games, against the Thunder and Bobcats, two teams with which White used to play. White was taken aback when the Bobcats didn't pursue him when he came back from China this year, Forsberg notes in the same piece.
- Celtics basketball president Danny Ainge may be reluctant to deal his stars, but one of those marquee talents believes he's excelled at finding role players, observes Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald. "I think the guys that Danny’s brought in are aggressive guys," Kevin Garnett said. "They fit the character of our team. They’re gutty guys, guys that are willing to work and get down. It’s guys who are willing to work, willing to listen, willing to be coached. And they’ve bought in. We don’t have any distractions in here. Everybody knows what the goal is."