Forward glad to see court

["Stephen Beauregard" <sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Forward glad to see court
By Gus Martins
Saturday, November 29, 2003

Raef LaFrentz couldn't have been happier with his return to the Celtics lineup
last night after missing the previous six games with a knee injury.

     He praised the way coach Jim O'Brien spotted him more than 20 minutes in
the 106-96 victory over the Milwaukee Bucks at the FleetCenter.

     ``He was good for me,'' LaFrentz said. ``He didn't let me stay out there
on the floor for extended periods of time. He didn't keep me out of the game
for extended periods of time. So while I didn't get too much burn, I also
didn't get too stiff.''

     With 14 points on 5-for-10 shooting, the 6-foot-11 newcomer apparently
has been around the Celtics long enough to know about O'Brien's high
expectations for defense.

     ``I hit a couple of shots,'' he said. ``My defense was poor. I'm sure
(O'Brien will) show it to me (today).''

     LaFrentz said he got plenty of open looks at the basket - the benefit of
playing alongside Paul Pierce [news].

     ``One thing I've learned playing offense with a player like Paul,'' he
said, ``is to make your shots because you are going to get a lot of looks,
albeit from the perimeter, but you are going to get a lot of shots. So it's
your job to make them.''

     Both Pierce and O'Brien were happy that LaFrentz's return gave the team
more options and allowed players to go to their natural position. The Celtics
are 2-4 in games LaFrentz hasn't played.

     ``I thought we got contributions from a lot of people off the bench,''
O'Brien said. ``Raef looked solid for his first time in a couple of weeks.''

     Added Pierce: ``Raef LaFrentz came up big tonight. He came in off being
on the injured list and it was like he never had left. He came and gave us a
big lift.''

     LaFrentz seemed to recognize the increased responsibilities that get
passed on when he can't suit up.

     ``What gets neglected when you go on the injured list is you put a lot of
strain on the other guys,'' he said. ``Eric Williams was playing out of
position when I was out. He's willing to make the sacrifices. But that's when
you feel more like you want to be out there for them.''

     For his first night back in almost two weeks, LaFrentz said he could live
with his performance.

     ``It was good to be out there running around,'' he said. ``You miss it
when you are out and you miss it double time when you see some holes you can
helpt to help fill.''
Thanks,

Steve
sb@xxxxxxxxxxxx