The Magic, meanwhile, knocked down seven of their first eight shots, and nine of their first 12 (4-for-5 from 3-point line) to set the tone and jump out to a 24-10 lead before the Celtics knew what hit them.

Mickael Pietrus (4-for-4) 11 points and Rashard Lewis (9) points) have been Orlando's go-to guys.

Kevin Garnett (5 points) leads the Celtics.

Boston center Kendrick Perkins, who held Howard to just 13.1 points per game in the Eastern Conference semifinals last season.

Howard says that nobody guards him as well as Perkins does. He credits Boston assistant coach Clifford Ray for making Perkins into one of the best defensive centers in the game.

"He's very smart, and I worked with Cliff from the time I got into the league until the time he left to come to Boston. He was a big help for me and he's really helped Kendrick's game. I'm real happy to see the progress that Kendrick has made, not just defensively, but offensively, since he's came into the league.

"We worked out together and when we came out, we he got drafted, and to see him now, I'm just happy to see that he's grown [under] Clifford Ray, who has done a good job of just pushing him to become better every day so I'm really happy for him."

Perkins received four votes to be named to one of the NBA's two All-Defensive teams last season.

"With Perk, we want him to be a deep-post guy," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "When he catches it in the paint...Perk gets a lot of his post-action after he sets a pick for Paul [Pierce] or Ray [Allen] where the bigs on the other team has to help, and that allows him establish himself in the paint. When he catches it outside of the paint, he struggles a little bit. But when he gets it in the paint, he's very difficult to [defend]."

Rivers said that in Perkins' first three years in the league, he wanted to be an offensive player. But after the Celtics signed Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen, Perkins decided to become the best defensive player he could be because that is where he can help out the team the most.

"Perk has accepted his role and he is trying to master that role to make him a great player," Rivers said. "He's a defensive player and he knows that."

"I don't know if there is anybody in the league faster [than Rondo]," Van Gundy said. "[Rondo] and Derrick Rose are pretty quick and we saw them matched up in the playoff last year. It's tough keeping him out of the paint with his speed, and defensively he can disrupt you with his speed too."

Orlando center Dwight Howard is one of the many players that Wallace has mentored through the years.

"We talk a lot both on and off the court just about situations, about life and how to grow on the court," Howard said. "He's been a good veteran. Even though he's not on my team, he's always giving me some words of advise just to take my game to another level.

"There are a lot of guys who do that, especially when you try to reach out to them and try to pick their brains apart. It just feels good to have guys like that around the league who just don't care about themselves but care about the younger generation as well."

"He's got a lot of things that are there. His jump shot is back for sure. His timing is still off a little bit. One day his quickness is there and the next day it's not, and that's typical with injuries. It takes a while. We are in no hurry with it. We've kept his minutes down. It's been good."

Garnett is averaging 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game this season.

The locker rooms open up at 6:30 p.m., but in the meantime, here are some some quick notes about the two teams who split their four regular-season meetings last year (2-2).

CELTICS

The Celtics, led by Paul Pierce who is averaging a team-high 18.4 points per game, are 5-2 at home this season. He is on pace to lead the team in points for the 10th consecutive season.

Pierce averaged a team-high 23.3 points against the Magic during the regular season last year.

The Celtics are third in the NBA with 104 steals.

Rajon Rondo is averaging career highs in assists per game (9.0) and steals per game (2.6).

Kendrick Perkins is shooting 50-for-88 (56.8 percent) from the floor this season and is averaging 10.5 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.

Ray Allen is averaging 19.9 points per game against the Magic in his career.

MAGIC

Orlando is 7-2 against Eastern Conference opponents this season.

The Magic have attempted the most 3-pointers in the NBA, 317.

Dwight Howard is shooting 66.7 percent from the floor, by far the best in the NBA. He led the Magic against the Celtics last season, averaging 16.8 points, 15.5 rebounds and 4.0 blocks.

Vince Carter is 21-for-48 (43.8 percent) from the three-point line this season, and is averaging 17.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.

Marcin Gortat has 14 blocks this season.

Mickael Pietrus is on pace for a career high in minutes per game (30.5).

Jason Williams will start for the injured Jameer Nelson.

Here is what the Celtics had to say about the Magic at practice yesterday.

"They're the team everybody's chasing in the East,'' Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "They won the championship of the East last year. As far as we're concerned, they're the favorite and Cleveland's the second favorite and we're the third - going by the results of last year. So, it will be good to see where we're at.''

"It's definitely a big game for us," Pierce said. "Just try and make a statement against one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference. You're talking about a team that's going to be there in the end, one of the best records in the league. So, we're playing for home-court advantage and this is a team that we have to beat.''

"Their record says they're one of the best teams," Garnett said. "They're deep, they're very deep. People are not really talking about their depth, but the onus is on us. This should be a good test for us.''

Kendrick Perkins said: "It's just another playoff team we might have to go through to get where we're trying to go, so I think it's going to be a great test. They beat us in Game 7 at our house, actually I think they blew us out [101-82]. They were Eastern Conference champions so we've got to get that back, so we've got something to prove.''

First, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that city officials there have rejected a proposed 10-story mural of the basketball star -- saying it crosses the line from civic art into a giant ad for Nike products.

"The Cleveland Planning Commission tabled Nike's request to replace a massive mural of James ... showing him bare-chested, his skin a scaly armor," the newspaper says, as in the Adrian Peterson ad the company currently airs on TV.

And then there's this: Another New Orleans Saints plays said the Cavaliers' All-Star forward is "not NFL material."

James caused a stir this week by saying he could be "really good" if he committed himself to playing football. The remarks set off debate about James' football talents and prompted Browns coach Eric Mangini to joke that James should "come on down" and help his 1-8 team.

According to the Associated Press, Cleveland nose tackle Shaun Rogers initially sacked James' belief. Now Saints tight end Jeremy Shockey has piled on.

On his Twitter page, Shockey wrote: "Everyone trust me Lebron James could not play in the NFL! espn is crazy to even think he could even make a practice squad. hes a 4.9 40 time."

James was an All-State wide receiver in high school.

Agassi revealed in his recent autobiography that he failed a 1997 drug test, a result he says was thrown out after he lied by claiming he "unwittingly" took crystal meth.

However, ATP chairman Adam Helfant said on Friday that there was no way to sanction the American retroactively since he has retired from tennis.

"There has been a lot of speculation about whether the ATP would reopen the case, but we cannot do that because he's no longer playing on the tour," Helfant said at the ATP World Tour Finals in London. "I asked an outside law firm to go through the records from 1997 so I had all the facts. Andre Agassi has admitted he failed a drugs test in 1997 and regrettably he then lied about it. Even more regrettably he got away with it."

He said the ATP's decision not to reveal the positive test was in line with its policy not to comment on doping cases.

"If we had revealed that test it would have been in contravention of the rules at the time," he said.
Helfant said he had a "very frank conversation" with Agassi after the book came out, and that the ATP has responded to the World Anti-Doping Agency's questions about the case.

"But what was said will remain between us and will not be made public," he said.

Amy Eyden's goal in the 25th minute was the difference.

The Knights will play Polk CC, of Winter Haven, Fla., in a consolation game at 1 p.m. Friday.

CCRI became one of eight teams to qualify for the NJCAA tournament after winning the District G Northeast Tournament last Sunday.

The Cavaliers' All-Star forward caused a stir this week by saying he could be "really good" if he committed himself to playing football. The remarks set off debate about James' football talents and prompted Browns coach Eric Mangini to joke that James should "come on down" and help his 1-8 team.

Cleveland nose tackle Shaun Rogers initially sacked James' belief. Now Shockey has piled on.

On his Twitter page, Shockey wrote: "Everyone trust me Lebron James could not play in the NFL! espn is crazy to even think he could even make a practice squad. hes a 4.9 40 time."

James was an All-State wide receiver in high school.

However, the question of whether she remains eligible to compete as a woman remained uncertain.

The ministry also said in a statement that the International Association of Athletics Federations has agreed to allow the 18-year-old Semenya to keep her prize money.

"Because Caster has been found to be innocent ... she will then retain her gold medal," the ministry said.

On Wednesday, the IAAF said the gender tests performed on Semenya had not been completed. The track and field governing body had been expected to announce its findings Friday.

On Thursday, the IAAF said it was sticking by its statement and could not confirm the South African ministry statements.

"Whatever scientific tests were conducted legally within the IAAF regulations will be treated as a confidential matter between patient and doctor," the sports ministry said. "As such there will be no public announcement of what the panel of scientists has found. We urge all South Africans and other people to respect this professional ethical and moral way of doing things."

Before the 800 final in Berlin, the IAAF said it had ordered gender tests because of Semenya's muscular build and rapid improvement in times. The case caused outrage in South Africa, and the IAAF was accused of violating her privacy. South African track officials were accused of failing to protect her.

Australian newspapers said in September that Semenya has male and female sexual organs, but the IAAF has refused to confirm or deny those reports.

After Athletics South Africa president Leonard Chuene admitted he lied about gender tests being conducted on Semenya in South Africa before the worlds, South African Olympic committee officials suspended him and the rest of the track body's 12-member board.

The Olympic committee appointed one of its members, Ray Mali, as ASA's administrator. When Mali moved into the track body's Johannesburg offices this week, one suspended ASA official had to be escorted from the premises by police.

The sports ministry said Thursday it had asked the IAAF to apologize for its role, and had received this response: "It is deeply regrettable that information of a confidential nature entered the public domain."

The IAAF also told the sports ministry it was not the source of leaks about the case.

DUBLIN (AP) -- Ireland appealed to France and soccer authorities Thursday to replay their World Cup playoff in Paris after an obvious handball by Thierry Henry produced the winning goal.

Ireland's government and opposition leaders united in demands for Wednesday's 1-1 draw in France to be replayed, and the country's soccer federation said it is considering a protest.

In extra time, Henry twice handled the ball to prevent it going out of play, then passed to William Gallas in the Irish box for the deciding goal.

France advanced to next year's World Cup finals in South Africa with a 2-1 aggregate score. At the time of Henry's unpunished handball, the match was 17 minutes from reaching a penalty shootout.

"If that result remains, it reinforces the view that if you cheat you will win," said Irish Justice Minister Dermot Ahern -- who also pointed out that two French players appeared to be offsides on a free kick that preceded the goal.

"Millions of people worldwide saw it was a blatant double handball, not to mention a double offside," Ahern said. "We should put the powers that be in the cozy world of FIFA on the spot and demand a replay."

The Football Association of Ireland said it was still mulling whether to protest. But Irish assistant manager Liam Brady and several players appealed to France's sense of honor.
"If the game's going to survive, it's got to be an equal playing field," Brady said. "If we're going to have integrity and dignity in the world game, the game should be replayed. And we'll go to Paris to play it."

Some Irish players accused Henry of lying when he told them that his handball had been accidental and instinctive, and criticized Swedish referee Martin Hansson for missing the infraction.

Irish left back Kevin Kilbane said replays showed conclusively that Henry "handballed it once and it's still going out of play, so he's handled it again to make sure it doesn't go out of play. ... I asked him on the pitch: Did you handball it? And he said, 'Yes -- but I didn't mean it.'"

Kilbane said he also asked Hansson after the final whistle if he had seen the incident.
"He said: 'I can 100 percent say it wasn't handball.' When he said that to me, I knew full well that he was just lying to me because he hadn't even seen it."

Irish lawmaker Joe McHugh said France should follow the 1999 precedent set by Arsenal's French manager, Arsene Wenger, who volunteered to replay a match in England's FA Cup after Arsenal won on an unfair goal.

"Throughout the country today there is an air of bitterness. We were beaten unfairly and there is general disgust in France too," McHugh said. "Friends of mine who attended last night's game phoned me this morning from a cafe in Paris to report that the French people are ashamed and do not regard this as an honest victory."

Several Irish players were in tears after Wednesday's match and rued their own missed scoring chances after outplaying France for much of the night.

"We got robbed. ... We feel cheated. We were the better team," said Irish defender Sean St. Ledger.

Ahern said he doubted that soccer's world governing body FIFA would sanction a replay. He reflected the widespread Irish view that the sport's powers were biased in favor of ensuring France's qualification.

"They probably won't grant it as we are minnows in world football," Ahern said, "but let's put them on the spot anyway."

That was the message Boston coach Doc Rivers told his team last night before they stormed the Garden to take on the Golden State Warriors.

Rivers said that the Celtics played poorly in the second half, and especially in the fourth quarter in their two previous games, resulting in losses to Atlanta and Indiana.
He wanted to make sure that didn't happen again last night.

And it didn't.

The Celtics outscored the road-weary Golden State Warriors who were playing their fifth consecutive game away from home and only had eight healthy bodies, 31-19, in the third quarter, to break open a close game, and 29-28 in the fourth to snap a two-game losing streak with a 109-95 triumph over the upset-minded Warriors.

All five starters scored in double figures, with Rajon Rondo (18 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds), Paul Pierce (19 points, 4 rebounds), Ray Allen (15 points), Kendrick Perkins (15 points, 7 rebounds), and Kevin Garnett (12 points, 6 rebounds) leading the way.

After Corey Maggette (23 points, 8 rebounds) tied the game up at 55-55 for Golden State with a free throw, it seemed to awake a sleeping giant in the Celtics.

The Celtics shut down Golden State's high-powered offense after that and went on an 11-0 run which gave them their biggest lead of the game up to that point, 66-55.

They would extend that lead to 80-67 by the start of the fourth quarter thanks in large part to Rondo, who scored 12 points in the third.

Golden State made one last push, slashing Boston's lead to 86-76 with 7:30 remaining, but Eddie House (11 points) answered with back-to-back 3-pointers for the Celtics to put the game out of reach.

"NHL In Russian" ("NXL Na Russkom") will be broadcast on the Penguins' HD radio station and streamed live on www.pittsburghpenguins.com and NHL.com. The show will feature interviews with Russian NHL players, legends, and NHL news.

It will air at 8:30 a.m. ET on Tuesday mornings in the U.S. (4:30 p.m. in Moscow), starting Tuesday. Special guests on the inaugural show will be 2008-09 NHL scoring champ Evgeni Malkin and Russian hockey legend Igor Larionov.

The Celtics are clinging to a 49-48 lead at halftime.

While the Celtics have been nearly unstoppable on offense, shooting 54.1 percent from the field, they have not been able to slow down Golden State's efficient offense, which has knocked down 50 percent of its shots.

Nearly half of Boston's points have come in the paint (24), with Kendrick Perkins (12 points, 3 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (8 points, 3) leading the way. Paul Pierce has seven points and two rebounds and Ray Allen has six points.

Corey Maggette (14 points, 4 rebounds), Stephen Curry (7 points) and Anthony Randolph (8 points, 7 rebounds) have been Golden State's go-to guys.
T
he Celtics began the game on fire, knocking down seven of their first eight shots. But they couldn't pull away as Golden State made six of its first 10 shots and were only down, 17-13, after six minutes of play.

They Celtics have led by as much as six but the Warriors will not go away quietly.