Hooped Up

Ex-Celtics point guard Gary Payton watched on television from his Las Vegas home Wednesday night as his former team lost to the Pistons. And once Chauncey Billups hit the winning free throws with a tenth of a second remaining, Payton called his agent. “He called me and said, ‘Hey, I’m reminding you that the Celtics are a team I feel like I can help,’ ” said agent Aaron Goodwin. The Celtics have been pleased with the play of second-year point guard Rajon Rondo. But there has been a feeling that Boston still needs a veteran backup at the position.

Boston Globe