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Garnett-less Celtics begin title defense vs. Bulls

Apr 17, 2009 - 11:15 PM BOSTON (AP) -- Doc Rivers laughed. Paul Pierce smiled. The emotional shock of a tough day had worn off for the Boston Celtics.

More than 24 hours had passed since they learned that Kevin Garnett would miss the first round against the Chicago Bulls, and probably the rest of the playoffs, and that general manager Danny Ainge suffered a heart attack that later was described as minor by the team.

The mood had lightened enough Friday for second-year forward Glen "Big Baby" Davis to joke about his role as the replacement for "The Big Ticket," Garnett's nickname, in Saturday's series opener.

"I'm not the Big Ticket. I'm the Ticket Stub," Davis said with a grin. "So don't count the Ticket Stub out. You might need the ticket to get into the game, but you leave with the ticket stub because you'll never forget this game. You need it as a souvenir."

Rivers doesn't expect to coach Garnett again this season; he's out with a strained tendon in his right knee. Without his defense and leadership, the second-seeded Celtics' mission to repeat as NBA champions will be a lot more difficult. Even with him, they needed seven games to get past Atlanta in the first round last year. Every opponent this season has been motivated to knock off the champions.

"We've been tried all year," Pierce said. "For us to repeat, it's going to be the toughest thing we ever had to do."

It certainly will be tougher without Garnett.

"I think people are counting us out," center Kendrick Perkins said. "I don't even think people are expecting us to make it past the second round. ... We've got enough talent in here to give ourselves a chance to win every game."

They still have Pierce, Ray Allen and Rajon Rondo, all veterans of last year's run to the Celtics' NBA-record 17th title. Power forwards Davis and Leon Powe have improved. Eddie House broke Ainge's club record for best 3-point percentage in one season. And Stephon Marbury has played well in a complementary role since being acquired from the New York Knicks.

So the Bulls aren't getting overconfident because one of the NBA's best players is missing.

"They're not world champions just because of Kevin Garnett," Chicago coach Vinny Del Negro said. "They're world champions because they get after it. They know their roles. They've got Paul and Ray. ... They're more than capable of playing at a high level. They're 15-7 without him."

That was Boston's record in the 22 games of the final 26 it played without Garnett. The Celtics were 8-1 in their last nine games, all with the intense Garnett out of action.

But Rivers said Garnett will return to the bench for Saturday night's game.

"Hopefully, (he'll) wear a decent suit," Rivers said, "and that's going to be very questionable."

The 50-year-old Ainge won't be in the building. Team spokesman Jeff Twiss said he would miss the game and could be released from Massachusetts General Hospital by Sunday. Game 2 is set for Monday night

"He shouldn't be (there) Monday," Rivers said. "I know there's doctor's orders and not mine. The real doctors have told him he can't come out. I've never known Danny to really listen, so I wouldn't be shocked, but he shouldn't be there."

The noise and excitement of another full house -- the Celtics have played to 100 consecutive sellout crowds at home - might be too much for Ainge, but it should spur the Celtics.

The seventh-seeded Bulls' 13-28 road record is the worst of any of the 16 playoff teams.

"We had our opportunities, lost a couple of tough games," Del Negro said. "Hopefully, we'll grow from that and get better as the playoffs go on."

Chicago also is dealing with injuries. John Salmons, obtained with Brad Miller in a trade with Sacramento, will play with a strained left groin. Salmons is averaging 18.3 points since the deal and the Bulls went 18-11 with them to finish at 41-41. Point guard Derrick Rose, the top pick in the draft, had an outstanding rookie season.

One of the Celtics' main goals is to keep the Bulls from penetrating on offense.

But Miller said, "that's one of the things that we're trying to do with Rose, especially with his quickness and as much as he has the ball in his hands."

The Bulls have far less playoff experience than the Celtics and that keeps them from getting too confident just because they won't have to deal with Garnett.

"Everybody knows what KG brings to the table," Chicago's Joakim Noah said, "but, as an opponent, you've got to stay on edge, stay ready. All those guys are battle tested. They've been through it before. We're a young team and a lot of us haven't been through it before."

Rivers doesn't expect Garnett back this postseason. Ainge was "resting comfortably" on Friday and could be back in the stands soon. The Celtics set all that aside Friday, refocused on their first series and had a "tremendous" practice, Pierce said.

"We had a bad day," Rivers said. "That's the way I look at it, and that day is over. So now let's have some good ones."