Ah, the Celtics. A few off-season trades, and the ho-hum basketball franchise zoomed to the best record in the NBA, at least as of mid-December. Imagine being a walkie-talkie made of tin cans and string and suddenly transforming into an iPhone. It's kind of like that.
-- Lisa Eckelbecker, Worcester Telegram & Gazette
Monday, December 31, 2007
Recap: Game 29 (at Los Angeles Lakers)
BOSTON CELTICS AT LOS ANGELES LAKERS
December 30, 2007
10:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Gary PoonTanguay and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, Allan Tony, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Lakers Starting Lineup: Black Mamba No. 5, Derek Fisher-Price, Andrew Bynumb3r, Lamar Odom and Domber, Trevor Raisin' ArizONa
As if the resurrection of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry isn't enough of a story this season, there's yet a new wrinkle to be added to tonight's matchup ... Phil 'Er Up Jackson is currently tied with the legendary Red Auerbach for 7th most coaching wins in NBA history at 938 (sports.espn.go.com).
So, for those who can't connect the dots, that means that if the Lakers pull out the victory tonight, then Mister Jackson will have surpassed his old nemesis against the very team where Mister Auerbach earned his place in the history books ... Now, we certainly can't let that record be broken on our watch, can we?
Hell no we can't! We gotta win tonight for Red!
Not only can the C's put the skids on Jackson's quest for history (if only for one more night), they could also cap off this West Coast road trip with a perfect 4-0 record ... Now, that certainly would be a great way to close out 2007!
Unfortunately, they'll have to do so without the services of I've Got a Rajon Rondo, who will sit out tonight's contest with cramping in his right hamstring (suffered during last night's game in Utah).
FIRST QUARTER
Oh man, I need to let you people know that tonight is "Eighties Night" at the Staples Center. So, not only are the Lakers sporting their retro jerseys, but they also brought back the short-shorts (sportsillustrated.cnn.com) and they look absolutely TERRIBLE ... Seriously, Odom looks like a skinny Kareem Abdul-Jabbarwocky, while Derek Fisher appears to be wearing pantyhose!
Awful, just awful. Luckily, the Celts aren't committing the same fashion faux paus (I shudder to think of Glen "Macrosomia" Davis wearing a pair of those) ... Anyway, Fisher buries a jumpshot to open the game, while at the other end Tony drives down the lane and draws the foul on Derek; he makes both free throws to keep the score tied (2-all 11:18).
Ariza then misses the shot, and Perkins controls the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who makes his way up the floor, then gets the ball inside to KG; he draws the double-team, so he gives it to Perk and he finishes with a layup (4-2 10:54) ... We've seen that play - or variations of it - between Kevin and Kendrick many times thus far this season, and it never gets old!
Kobe then takes his first shot of the night, but is wide of the mark, and Pierce comes down with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Perk; his shot misses, however he gets his own rebound and tries to take it back up for the layup ... unfortunately, that shot is blocked from behind by Odom!
The ball goes out of bounds, so the Celts still retain possession ... Ray takes advantage of the opportunity, as he's left wide open for the 20-footer (6-2 10:25).
We're off to a great start, as a basket by Pierce makes it a six-point lead with 7:45 left in the quarter. LA calls for time, and when play resumes Bryant frontrims the jumpshot, but Odom collects the offensive board ... He tries to score on the putback, but blows the layup (ha HA!); the play's not over, though, as Lamar gets another rebound, and this time Pierce commits the foul.
The Lakers retain possession, but Kobe tries for the alleyoop pass to Bynum, and the ball winds up going about three feet over his head and sails out of bounds! Whoopsie ... That makes it Celtics' ball, and Garnett scores on the hook shot over Odom (13-5 6:50).
Two free throws by Kobe (those are his first points thus far, as he's missed all three of his field-goal attempts) cut the lead to six, as the crowd is already trying to get an "MVP!" chant going ... At the other end, Ray tries to work the baseline against Kobe, but misses the shot and Ariza pulls down the rebound. He takes it coast to coast and finds Odom in the paint, where he misses the little floater, but Bynum grabs the offensive board and lays it in (13-9 6:02).
Ray is then fouled and makes one-of-two free throws (hmmm), but Ariza quickly answers by blowing past Pierce and finishing with the strong one-hand slam (14-11 5:28).
Fisher then strips Tony from behind, and the ball goes off his knee and out of bounds; the Lakers regain possession, as Kobe tries to force up a shot over Ray (that seemed unnecessary) that barely grazes the rim. Pierce takes the rebound and pushes it up the floor for the fast break, as he finds a hustling Ray Allen who takes it in and scores the basket (16-11 5:03). However, after the play Ariza and Garnett are called for double technicals ... Not sure what initiated that, but there's a lot of talkign going on between the two.
Teammates come out and separate the two, but cooler heads prevail and nothing comes of it ... Anyway, the Lakers have possession, but that ends quickly as Fisher misses the outside shot and Hugh Laurie (just into the game for Tony) gets the rebound; he takes it back the other way, and passes inside to Ray, who misses the shot but Odom fouls KG going for the rebound.
More words are exchanged, as things are getting a little chippy right now ... However, KG maintains his composure and steps to the line to knock down both free throws (18-11 4:42).
At the other end, Kobe nails the turnaround jumper over Ray, plus he was able to draw the foul; that gives Bryant a chance for the three-point play, as he steps to the line with 4:31 remaining in the quarter. While he prepares to take the shot, Tony Allen comes back into the game to replace Ray.
Meanwhile, Kobe misses the free throw (ha HA!) and Perkins grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball to Tony, who dribbles up the floor and tries to drive to the basket against Bryant ... He succeeds in drawing the foul, but (after the play is already dead) he still manages to throw down a wild dunk and nearly does a complete somersault while letting go of the rim!
Man, it's nice to see Tony finish strong to the hoop, but please, not THAT strong! My heart can't take it ... Anyway, the Lakers are over the limit, so he heads to the line and makes both foul shots (20-13 4:25).
Odom scores with the three-pointer to cut Boston's lead to four, but at the other end Garnett makes the nice spin move on Bynum and finishes with the basket (22-16 3:48).
Fisher answers with a deep jumper, then Tony misses the shot and Bynum collects the rebound. He passes upcourt to Odom, who finds Fisher open behind the three-point line; the shot rims in and out (ooh, that was close) and Perk collects the carom.
He gives the ball to Pierce, who takes it back the other way, and dishes inside to Garnett ... As soon as the ball is in his hands, he sends a bullet pass over to Perk for another layup attempt; he's stripped of the ball by Bynum, but is able to recover and finishes with the loud dunk (24-18 2:56)!
However, the refs - apparently - felt that Kendrick was a little too "expressive" after the dunk, and give him a technical for taunting (please). Fisher makes the free throw, as the Lakers still have possession, and Odom tries to drive to the basket against KG. However, his shot misses, and Perk grabs the rebound; he gets the ball to House, who makes his way up the floor, then finds Tony for the easy layup (26-19 2:20).
Scotty 2 Hotty and Parker Posey are on the floor for the final two minutes of the quarter, but it's Pierce who draws the foul on Kobe while scoring the fallaway jumper; Bryant isn't happy with the call, and earns himself yet another technical! Paul makes the one free throw, then steps back to the line and makes one more for the unconventional four-point play (30-19 1:08).
Kobe answers by taking it right at Posey and scoring the basket, then Pierce backrims a three-point attempt and Odom collects the rebound. He passes to Jordan "Old McDonald Had a" Farmar who takes it upcourt, then he finds Kobe about three feet behind the three-point line ... He launches it anyway, and misses the shot (tee hee).
Pollard grabs the rebound and gives it to Tony, who takes it back the other way; he finds Pierce at the top of the key, and he drives down the lane where he's fouled from behind by Odom. That puts him back at the charity stripe, for two more free throws to put the lead back into double digits (32-21 :28.5).
Kobe is fouled by Pollard with 5.9 seconds left on the clock, so he steps to the line (as Scotty takes a seat and Just Pruitt sees his first action of the night) and makes both free throws ... Pruitt tries to dribble the length of the court and score on the layup, but Ronny Turiaf-terglow is able to block his shot as the buzzer sounds. That keeps the Celtics' lead at nine (32-23) at the end of one.
SECOND QUARTER
Glenn Rivers M.D. goes with a lineup of House, Posey, Pollard, Tony, and Pierce to begin the quarter. As for Kobe, he starts things off on the bench (9 PTS, 2-8 FG) ... Meanwhile, Paul knocks down the jumper to give Boston an early 11-point lead. At the other end, Kwame "A River" Brown takes it to the basket and draws the foul on Pollard, earning himself a trip to the line for one-of-two free throws (34-24 11:23).
Pierce then makes a slick move around Ariza, but runs right into Kwame (no foul called) and misses the shot. Trevor collects the rebound and heads back the other way, where he finishes with the basket over Posey (34-26 10:34).
Tony answers with a nice layup, then Pollard knocks away a pass by Odom (that was intended for Kwame) and Allen collects the loose ball. He takes it back up the floor, then passes inside to Posey for the layup (38-26 10:11).
At the other end, Odom misses the shot, then tries to tip it in himself but can't convert. Pierce comes away with the rebound, and takes it upcourt himself; he winds up with the big man Kwame on him, so tries to take advantage of that matchup. However, Brown actually ends up knocking the ball otu of his hands, and both Ariza and Posey dive to the floor to try and save it (that could've been a very ugly collision).
Trevor winds up with the ball, and passes upcourt to Farmar. He has only House to beat, so he takes it right to the basket and finishes with the one-hand dunk (38-28 9:34); impressive.
Tony buries the trey (he now has 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting), then Farmar tries to answer but throws up an airball from behind the three-point line (ha HA!). Posey collects the "rebound", and passes upcourt to House; he gives it back to James, who proceeds to send it right back to Eddie for a three-point attempt of his own.
That misses (dang) and Kwame comes away with the rebound. He passes to Farmar, who takes it coast to coast and makes a strong move to the basket with Tony right on him. He ends up missing the shot, and Allen grabs the rebound; he takes it back the other way, then passes inside to Pollard where he's fouled by Javaris Crittenton 2: The Main Course with 8:04 on the clock.
KG comes back into the game at this point (as Pollard sits), as it's still Boston possession and Garnett makes the bullet pass inside to Posey for the layup (43-28 7:55)!
Gorman notes that "the Lakers have lost a little bit of that enthusiasm in their body language" (maybe those shorts are squeezing the life out of them) ... LA doesn't do anything to disprove his theory, as Kobe is back on the floor at the 7:17 mark, but misses the jumpshot and Odom tips the loose rebound out of bounds. That makes it Celtics' ball, and Tony explodes past Farmar before finishing with the layup (45-28 6:47)!
At the other end, Kwame is fouled by Ray trying to break up the alleyoop attempt from Farmar; that's his third, so The Scals of Justice is in the game to replace him. Meanwhile, the Lakers still have possession, as Kobe passes up the shot (!) to get the ball to Odom. He responds with an airball that is about two feet wide right of the basket!
That gets a chuckle out of the announcing team (Marshall: "I think somebody opened the door in here, Mike, the breeze just blew that one!"), as the Lakers have now missed seven of their last eight shots ... Boston regains possession, but Posey misses the outside jumpshot (the Celts are still 6-for-10 shooting in the quarter) and Kwame snares the rebound. He passes to Farmar, who makes his way up the floor and finds Odom behind the three-point line; without hesitation, he puts up the shot and buries it (45-31 6:01). Hey, a shooter has to keep shooting, as they say.
Garnett then misses the shot over Kwame (there should've been a foul called on Odom for reaching in) and Brown gets himself another rebound. He passes to Farmar, who quickly brings the ball upcourt, and gets it to Odom; he tries to score over Scals but comes up short, and Ariza can't tip in the miss as Posey collects the rebound. However, he gets tripped up by Trevor and falls out of bounds ... and the refs say it's Lakers' ball!
Man, I am not happy with that call ... and neither is Doc Rivers, as he picks up another technical! Fisher steps to the line for the free throw, but the C's catch Jackson in a bit of chicanery as Derek was just subbed into the game and thus is ineligible to take the shot (nice try Phil). Kobe steps to the line instead and makes the free throw, then Ariza inbounds the ball to Kwame and he finds Bryant spotting up in the corner. Rather than putting up an outside shot, though, he takes it in against two defenders and still manages to score on the layup (45-34 5:28).
Scals tries to answer with the three-point attempt, but misses and Kwame grabs the rebound. He passes to Fisher, who takes it upcourt, then swings the ball around to Kobe. He tries to get the ball inside to Vladimir "Totally" Radmanovic, but it actually bounces off his shoulder and goes out of bounds. Boston regains possession ... but not for long, as Fisher pulls off an acting job worthy of Hollywood - Tony uses his elbow (which admittedly was a stupid move) to try and clear some space between the tow, and Derek goes flying like he was shot!
Nevertheless, the refs buy his act and whistle Allen for the offensive foul ... That makes it Lakers' ball, as Tony almost immediately commits another foul (his third) trying to guard Kobe. That puts the super-duperstar at the line, and he makes both free throws (45-36 4:34).
House comes back into the game, as Tony has to take a seat ... Meanwhile, Garnett is called for the travelling violation trying to make a spin move around Radmanovic (Boston's sixth turnover). The Lakers take back control of the ball, as Fisher passes inside to Bynum, where he goes up for the dunk but is fouled from behind by Perkins.
Not only that, but Bynum catches KG across the right eye with his elbow on the way down ... Garnett comes out of it with a bloody face, as he takes the opportunity to point at his "crimson mask" and yell at the refs "Now THAT'S a foul!"
He appears to be okay, but still has to go to the locker room to have the cut closed; "Big Baby" comes into the game to replace him, as Bynum heads to the line and makes both free throws (45-38 3:20).
At the other end, Perk takes the ball right at Bynum and draws the foul (that might have actually been a clean block by Andrew); in any event, Kendrick goes to the line with 3:13 remaining for two free-throw attempts of his own ... but misses both of them!
The Lakers take possession with a chance to get within five (or better) ... however, Kobe misses the layup (!) and Ariza grabs the rebound while stepping out of bounds.
It's Celtics' ball, as House brings it up the floor and Fisher tries to perform another flop job by hitting the deck after Eddie barely touches him ... Luckily, the refs don't fall for it this time, so House is left wide open and knocks down the jumper (47-38 2:46).
Two free throws by Kobe make it a seven-point game again, then Davis misses the fallaway jumper over Odom, and Luke Walton-Disney takes down the rebound. We head back the other way, as Bynum makes his way into the paint and scores with the hook shot over the outstretched hand of "Big Baby" (47-42 1:27).
Doc calls for time at the 1:18 mark, as KG (with four stitches and one big band-aid over his eye) comes back into the game to replace Davis. Pierce then slices down the lane and draws the foul on Bynum, earning himself a trip to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (48-42 1:15).
Kobe then misses the fallaway jumper over Perkins, and Pierce grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to KG; he's double-teamed with nowhere to go, so he kicks it back out to Pierce and he buries the trey (51-42 :50.2)!
Kobe tries to answer with a deep three-point attempt (as Paul is right in his face); that misses, but Kwame takes the offensive board and kicks it out to Fisher, who tries a three-point shot of his own. That too misses (tee hee) and Garnett controls the rebound; he passes upcourt to Pierce, where he's fouled by Kobe (his third) ... LA is over the limit, so Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (53-42 :23.8).
The Lakers hold for the final shot, as Sasha Vuja-cicle is having some real problems trying to keep the ball away from Posey ... He's finally able to get it to Fisher, and he throws up an off-balance three-point attempt at the buzzer; sure enough, he buries it (!) as the Celts' lead is cut to eight (53-45) at halftime.
That's still a pretty good lead, though, as the C's have effectively limited Kobe to "only" 16 points (3-15 FG, 10-11 FT) ... Paul Pierce was able to score his sixteen in a much more efficient manner (4-8 FG), while Tony Allen has settled in nicely to his starting role as point guard (13 PTS, 4-5 FG, 2 AST).
THIRD QUARTER
The Lakers have decided to dump the short shorts to start the second half, and are back to their normal attire (thank goodness, those were proving to be a major distraction for yours truly, I couldn't focus on the game) ... Anyway, Pierce buries a trey to open the quarter, then Kobe tries to answer but misses the three-point attempt; Paul comes away with the rebound, and passes up ahead to Tony, who dishes the ball inside to Garnett. He finishes with the turnaround jumper over Odom (58-45 11:19).
Lamar scores with the left-handed floater over Perk, then Ray blows past Ariza and hits the layup (60-47 10:32).
Trevor then takes it to the basket against KG, and gets bumped while scoring the bucket; he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (60-50 9:55) ... At the other end, Ariza appears to strip Tony of the ball, but the refs whistle him for the foul (his third). Boston retains possession, as Ray misses the outside shot, but Garnett grabs the offensive board and scores with the putback (62-50 8:49).
Kobe knocks down the jumper (he's now 4-for-17 shooting), then Pierce misses the three-point attempt. However, KG gets himself another offensive rebound (reaching up over Ariza to snatch the ball away) and throws down the LOUD one-handed dunk (64-52 8:04)!
Odom then makes the nice move around Pierce along the baseline, and finishes with the one-hand slam of his own; the ref also blows his whistle, but it turns out that the foul was on Fisher away from the ball ... So, count the basket as the Celts take possession, and Paul makes a strong move to the hoop (maybe he wants to get in on the dunking act) where he draws the foul on Bynum. That brings Kwame up off the bench to replace him, as Pierce steps to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (65-54 7:32).
Odom scores again (he's got 14 points), then Fisher strips Paul of the ball and takes it up the floor for the 3-on-1 fast break. He gives it up to Kobe, who goes in over Tony for the layup (65-58 6:51).
The crowd is chanting for defense (while Turiaf is hopping up and down on the Lakers bench like a moron), as Paul misses the pullup jumper over Odom, and Bryant takes down the rebound. He brings it up the floor himself, then tries for the fallaway "jay" over Ray, but misses the shot (he still can't find the touch) and Garnett comes away with the rebound.
He passes to Pierce, who slowly brings it upcourt, then gives the ball to Ray and he passes inside to Garnett. He tries to make a move to the basket, but instead draws the foul on Kwame ... Brown doesn't like that call, and actually gets up in the ref's face to argue (or more accurately, looks down at the ref's face to argue); considering how the techs have been flying tonight, that's not a wise move, and sure enough Kwame gets one of his very own.
So, Ray makes the free throw, then Garnett steps to the line and adds two more (68-58 6:00) ... Celts are starting to build some momentum, as Odom backrims the jumpshot and KG grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt to Allen, who tries to work the baseline against Kobe, but instead kicks it out to Tony open behind the three-point line. His shot misses, but Ray grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Pierce, who drives on Walton (Gorman: "Luke grabbed Pierce's jersey from behind!") and has his layup attempt blocked by Odom. Luckily, Garnett controls the loose ball and finishes with the layup (70-58 5:20).
Walton answers with a trey, then Ray fakes the three-point attempt before instead passing the ball inside to Perk; he's fouled by Kwame, so Kendrick heads to the line with 4:53 remaining but proceeds to miss both free throws (whoopsie) ... The Lakers have a chance to cut the Celtics' lead further, however Walton has his shot partially blocked by Garnett, and Ray collects the loose ball. He heads back the other way, and passes to Pierce, but Fisher knocks the ball out of his hands and out of bounds at the 4:11 mark.
Posey comes into the game to replace Ray, as Paul frontrims the three-point attempt but KG comes away with the offensive board. He passes back to Pierce, who just wipes out Fisher trying to make a spin move in the paint; no foul is called (which the crowd doesn't like) so he passes inside to Perkins and he finishes with the layup (72-61 3:58).
Kwame scores, then Posey airballs a three-point attempt (!) and Walton collects the rebound. He passes up ahead to Bryant, who finds Fisher open behind the line and he buries the trey (72-66 3:18).
Now that the crowd likes, as Boston calls a timeout. When play resumes, KG is on the bench (18 PTS, 11 REB) and House is on the floor ... Meanwhile, Walton commits the foul trying to steal the ball from Pierce, and the Lakers are over the limit so Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (74-66 3:07).
At the other end, Walton sets the screen on Tony to try and free up Kobe, but Pierce steps into Bryant's path and draws the offensive foul call! Nice play by Paul, as the crowd voices their displeasure ... Sure enough, the refs decide to kowtow to the home fans, as they immediately whistle a "makeup call" on Perk setting the pick on Walton (boo).
That offensive foul call gives LA back possession, but Fisher misses the jumpshot and Posey pulls down the 'bound. He passes to Pierce, who takes the ball up the floor and makes a nice spin move to elude Walton and get himself into the paint; it's there where he's hacked by Kwame while going up for the shot (no call) and Walton collects the rebound.
He passes to Odom, who takes it back the other way; he passes inside to Fisher, and he has his shot blocked by Perkins (yes!). Posey scoops up the loose ball, as the Celts have a chance to extend their lead ... but Tony blows the easy layup (!) and Odom takes the rebound. He passes upcourt to Kobe, who tries for the pullup jumpshot but comes up short and Pierce comes away with the carom.
He passes to Tony to start the Celtics' fast break, and he gives the ball right back to Paul; he drives to the hoop and knocks Kwame to the floor as he makes the shot, but the refs call Brown for the blocking foul ... Okay, I'll take that, as Paul makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (77-66 1:30).
Now the Lakers are coming unglued, as Vujacic airballs a three-point attempt (ha HA!) and Pierce hauls down the rebound. He takes it up the floor himself, as Posey sets the pick on Ariza, so Paul uses the space to pull up behind the three-point line and buries it (80-66 :36.7)! Yowza, Pierce now has 12 points in the quarter!
Not only that, but he strips Walton of the ball and gives Boston a chance for the final shot of the quarter ... Paul is covered by Luke, so he blows right past him and pulls up over Vujacic for the short jumper at the buzzer! That makes the score 82 to 66 (Celtics) heading into the final stanza.
An awesome quarter for Pierce, as he now has 30 points (8-16 FG, 11-13 FT) on the night!
FOURTH QUARTER
Paul earns a rest on the bench to start the quarter, as the C's have Tony, Ray, House, Pollard, and Posey on the floor ... Meanwhile, Crittenton has his shot blocked by Scotty, and Posey picks up the loose ball. He passes up the floor to House, and he finds Ray for the pullup jumper over Farmar (84-66 11:31).
Bynum then loses control of the ball, and Posey dives to the floor to save it (hustle until the very end); he calls a 20-second timeout to save the possession, and when play resumes Ray is covered by Radmanovic but has no problem pulling up and knocking down another jumper (86-66 10:50)!
That might just be the final nail in the coffin ... Kobe comes back into the game with 10:33 (Radmanovic sits) as Bynum hits two free throws, then Ray is able to elude Odom and drains the three-pointer (89-68 10:20).
Bryant tries to answer but misses his own three-point attempt (he's now 5-for-21 from the field!), and Ray grabs the rebound. He takes the ball upcourt himself, then finds Tony at the top of the key; he makes the nice pass inside to Posey, where he's hacked by Bynum, so it's time to go to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (90-68 9:56).
Farmar then bricks a three-pointer, as Kobe gets the offensive board but can't bank in the shot (it's just not his night). Bynum fouls Posey going for the rebound (his sixth), so he has to go to the bench to end a very quiet night (22 MIN, 8 PTS, 2-2 FG, 2 REB, 2 TO); Boston regains possession, and House drains a trey (93-68 9:26)! The Celts are now shooting four-for-four to start the quarter, while the Lakers have yet to make a basket (0-5 FG).
Okay, NOW that's the final nail in the coffin ... However, before I wrap things up, let's fast forward to the final few minutes of the game; there's a little "incident" that I feel I must document for posterity's sake.
It's a 19-point lead (103-84) with 3:03 remaining in the game. Crittenton then tries to make an alleyoop pass inside to Odom, but KG rejects his layup attempt (and let's out an audible "Get that shit outta here!" for good measure). Ray collects the loose ball and is just dribblling the ball, when Lamar decides to give him a shoulder tackle right into the Celtics bench!
Seriously, without any provocation, he just decided that he was suddenly trying out for the NFL ... I don't know if he was angry that he just had his shot blocked and wanted to take that aggression out on somebody, but it was completely uncalled for and the textbook definition of a "dirty play".
Nothing comes of the incident (just a lot of shouting) ... but the really weird thing is that the ref (aside from assessing Odom with an obvious flagrant foul) decides to whistle Ray Allen for a technical foul as well! Now, the logic behind that truly escapes me.
Odom is sent to the bench (he should've been kicked out of the game), as Farmar makes the undeserved free throw, then Ray steps to the line and makes both of his (105-85 2:57).
It's Celtics' ball, as Garnett rises up above Turiaf and buries the 18-footer (107-85 2:44); so there!
KG then blocks a shot by Farmar (think he's a little miffed right now?), and Farmar fouls Posey going for the loose ball ... That sends James to the line, as Kevin takes a seat (to a mix of cheers and boos), where he makes one-of-two free throws (108-85 2:22).
An ugly ending to a great game, as the Celtics dominate 110 to 91 ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 110, Los Angeles 91
GAME RATING:
19
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
POST-GAME NOTES:
December 30, 2007
10:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Staples Center (Los Angeles, CA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Gary PoonTanguay and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, Allan Tony, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Lakers Starting Lineup: Black Mamba No. 5, Derek Fisher-Price, Andrew Bynumb3r, Lamar Odom and Domber, Trevor Raisin' ArizONa
As if the resurrection of the Lakers-Celtics rivalry isn't enough of a story this season, there's yet a new wrinkle to be added to tonight's matchup ... Phil 'Er Up Jackson is currently tied with the legendary Red Auerbach for 7th most coaching wins in NBA history at 938 (sports.espn.go.com).
So, for those who can't connect the dots, that means that if the Lakers pull out the victory tonight, then Mister Jackson will have surpassed his old nemesis against the very team where Mister Auerbach earned his place in the history books ... Now, we certainly can't let that record be broken on our watch, can we?
Hell no we can't! We gotta win tonight for Red!
Not only can the C's put the skids on Jackson's quest for history (if only for one more night), they could also cap off this West Coast road trip with a perfect 4-0 record ... Now, that certainly would be a great way to close out 2007!
Unfortunately, they'll have to do so without the services of I've Got a Rajon Rondo, who will sit out tonight's contest with cramping in his right hamstring (suffered during last night's game in Utah).
FIRST QUARTER
Oh man, I need to let you people know that tonight is "Eighties Night" at the Staples Center. So, not only are the Lakers sporting their retro jerseys, but they also brought back the short-shorts (sportsillustrated.cnn.com) and they look absolutely TERRIBLE ... Seriously, Odom looks like a skinny Kareem Abdul-Jabbarwocky, while Derek Fisher appears to be wearing pantyhose!
Awful, just awful. Luckily, the Celts aren't committing the same fashion faux paus (I shudder to think of Glen "Macrosomia" Davis wearing a pair of those) ... Anyway, Fisher buries a jumpshot to open the game, while at the other end Tony drives down the lane and draws the foul on Derek; he makes both free throws to keep the score tied (2-all 11:18).
Ariza then misses the shot, and Perkins controls the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who makes his way up the floor, then gets the ball inside to KG; he draws the double-team, so he gives it to Perk and he finishes with a layup (4-2 10:54) ... We've seen that play - or variations of it - between Kevin and Kendrick many times thus far this season, and it never gets old!
Kobe then takes his first shot of the night, but is wide of the mark, and Pierce comes down with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Perk; his shot misses, however he gets his own rebound and tries to take it back up for the layup ... unfortunately, that shot is blocked from behind by Odom!
The ball goes out of bounds, so the Celts still retain possession ... Ray takes advantage of the opportunity, as he's left wide open for the 20-footer (6-2 10:25).
We're off to a great start, as a basket by Pierce makes it a six-point lead with 7:45 left in the quarter. LA calls for time, and when play resumes Bryant frontrims the jumpshot, but Odom collects the offensive board ... He tries to score on the putback, but blows the layup (ha HA!); the play's not over, though, as Lamar gets another rebound, and this time Pierce commits the foul.
The Lakers retain possession, but Kobe tries for the alleyoop pass to Bynum, and the ball winds up going about three feet over his head and sails out of bounds! Whoopsie ... That makes it Celtics' ball, and Garnett scores on the hook shot over Odom (13-5 6:50).
Two free throws by Kobe (those are his first points thus far, as he's missed all three of his field-goal attempts) cut the lead to six, as the crowd is already trying to get an "MVP!" chant going ... At the other end, Ray tries to work the baseline against Kobe, but misses the shot and Ariza pulls down the rebound. He takes it coast to coast and finds Odom in the paint, where he misses the little floater, but Bynum grabs the offensive board and lays it in (13-9 6:02).
Ray is then fouled and makes one-of-two free throws (hmmm), but Ariza quickly answers by blowing past Pierce and finishing with the strong one-hand slam (14-11 5:28).
Fisher then strips Tony from behind, and the ball goes off his knee and out of bounds; the Lakers regain possession, as Kobe tries to force up a shot over Ray (that seemed unnecessary) that barely grazes the rim. Pierce takes the rebound and pushes it up the floor for the fast break, as he finds a hustling Ray Allen who takes it in and scores the basket (16-11 5:03). However, after the play Ariza and Garnett are called for double technicals ... Not sure what initiated that, but there's a lot of talkign going on between the two.
Teammates come out and separate the two, but cooler heads prevail and nothing comes of it ... Anyway, the Lakers have possession, but that ends quickly as Fisher misses the outside shot and Hugh Laurie (just into the game for Tony) gets the rebound; he takes it back the other way, and passes inside to Ray, who misses the shot but Odom fouls KG going for the rebound.
More words are exchanged, as things are getting a little chippy right now ... However, KG maintains his composure and steps to the line to knock down both free throws (18-11 4:42).
At the other end, Kobe nails the turnaround jumper over Ray, plus he was able to draw the foul; that gives Bryant a chance for the three-point play, as he steps to the line with 4:31 remaining in the quarter. While he prepares to take the shot, Tony Allen comes back into the game to replace Ray.
Meanwhile, Kobe misses the free throw (ha HA!) and Perkins grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball to Tony, who dribbles up the floor and tries to drive to the basket against Bryant ... He succeeds in drawing the foul, but (after the play is already dead) he still manages to throw down a wild dunk and nearly does a complete somersault while letting go of the rim!
Man, it's nice to see Tony finish strong to the hoop, but please, not THAT strong! My heart can't take it ... Anyway, the Lakers are over the limit, so he heads to the line and makes both foul shots (20-13 4:25).
Odom scores with the three-pointer to cut Boston's lead to four, but at the other end Garnett makes the nice spin move on Bynum and finishes with the basket (22-16 3:48).
Fisher answers with a deep jumper, then Tony misses the shot and Bynum collects the rebound. He passes upcourt to Odom, who finds Fisher open behind the three-point line; the shot rims in and out (ooh, that was close) and Perk collects the carom.
He gives the ball to Pierce, who takes it back the other way, and dishes inside to Garnett ... As soon as the ball is in his hands, he sends a bullet pass over to Perk for another layup attempt; he's stripped of the ball by Bynum, but is able to recover and finishes with the loud dunk (24-18 2:56)!
However, the refs - apparently - felt that Kendrick was a little too "expressive" after the dunk, and give him a technical for taunting (please). Fisher makes the free throw, as the Lakers still have possession, and Odom tries to drive to the basket against KG. However, his shot misses, and Perk grabs the rebound; he gets the ball to House, who makes his way up the floor, then finds Tony for the easy layup (26-19 2:20).
Scotty 2 Hotty and Parker Posey are on the floor for the final two minutes of the quarter, but it's Pierce who draws the foul on Kobe while scoring the fallaway jumper; Bryant isn't happy with the call, and earns himself yet another technical! Paul makes the one free throw, then steps back to the line and makes one more for the unconventional four-point play (30-19 1:08).
Kobe answers by taking it right at Posey and scoring the basket, then Pierce backrims a three-point attempt and Odom collects the rebound. He passes to Jordan "Old McDonald Had a" Farmar who takes it upcourt, then he finds Kobe about three feet behind the three-point line ... He launches it anyway, and misses the shot (tee hee).
Pollard grabs the rebound and gives it to Tony, who takes it back the other way; he finds Pierce at the top of the key, and he drives down the lane where he's fouled from behind by Odom. That puts him back at the charity stripe, for two more free throws to put the lead back into double digits (32-21 :28.5).
Kobe is fouled by Pollard with 5.9 seconds left on the clock, so he steps to the line (as Scotty takes a seat and Just Pruitt sees his first action of the night) and makes both free throws ... Pruitt tries to dribble the length of the court and score on the layup, but Ronny Turiaf-terglow is able to block his shot as the buzzer sounds. That keeps the Celtics' lead at nine (32-23) at the end of one.
SECOND QUARTER
Glenn Rivers M.D. goes with a lineup of House, Posey, Pollard, Tony, and Pierce to begin the quarter. As for Kobe, he starts things off on the bench (9 PTS, 2-8 FG) ... Meanwhile, Paul knocks down the jumper to give Boston an early 11-point lead. At the other end, Kwame "A River" Brown takes it to the basket and draws the foul on Pollard, earning himself a trip to the line for one-of-two free throws (34-24 11:23).
Pierce then makes a slick move around Ariza, but runs right into Kwame (no foul called) and misses the shot. Trevor collects the rebound and heads back the other way, where he finishes with the basket over Posey (34-26 10:34).
Tony answers with a nice layup, then Pollard knocks away a pass by Odom (that was intended for Kwame) and Allen collects the loose ball. He takes it back up the floor, then passes inside to Posey for the layup (38-26 10:11).
At the other end, Odom misses the shot, then tries to tip it in himself but can't convert. Pierce comes away with the rebound, and takes it upcourt himself; he winds up with the big man Kwame on him, so tries to take advantage of that matchup. However, Brown actually ends up knocking the ball otu of his hands, and both Ariza and Posey dive to the floor to try and save it (that could've been a very ugly collision).
Trevor winds up with the ball, and passes upcourt to Farmar. He has only House to beat, so he takes it right to the basket and finishes with the one-hand dunk (38-28 9:34); impressive.
Tony buries the trey (he now has 11 points on 3-for-4 shooting), then Farmar tries to answer but throws up an airball from behind the three-point line (ha HA!). Posey collects the "rebound", and passes upcourt to House; he gives it back to James, who proceeds to send it right back to Eddie for a three-point attempt of his own.
That misses (dang) and Kwame comes away with the rebound. He passes to Farmar, who takes it coast to coast and makes a strong move to the basket with Tony right on him. He ends up missing the shot, and Allen grabs the rebound; he takes it back the other way, then passes inside to Pollard where he's fouled by Javaris Crittenton 2: The Main Course with 8:04 on the clock.
KG comes back into the game at this point (as Pollard sits), as it's still Boston possession and Garnett makes the bullet pass inside to Posey for the layup (43-28 7:55)!
Gorman notes that "the Lakers have lost a little bit of that enthusiasm in their body language" (maybe those shorts are squeezing the life out of them) ... LA doesn't do anything to disprove his theory, as Kobe is back on the floor at the 7:17 mark, but misses the jumpshot and Odom tips the loose rebound out of bounds. That makes it Celtics' ball, and Tony explodes past Farmar before finishing with the layup (45-28 6:47)!
At the other end, Kwame is fouled by Ray trying to break up the alleyoop attempt from Farmar; that's his third, so The Scals of Justice is in the game to replace him. Meanwhile, the Lakers still have possession, as Kobe passes up the shot (!) to get the ball to Odom. He responds with an airball that is about two feet wide right of the basket!
That gets a chuckle out of the announcing team (Marshall: "I think somebody opened the door in here, Mike, the breeze just blew that one!"), as the Lakers have now missed seven of their last eight shots ... Boston regains possession, but Posey misses the outside jumpshot (the Celts are still 6-for-10 shooting in the quarter) and Kwame snares the rebound. He passes to Farmar, who makes his way up the floor and finds Odom behind the three-point line; without hesitation, he puts up the shot and buries it (45-31 6:01). Hey, a shooter has to keep shooting, as they say.
Garnett then misses the shot over Kwame (there should've been a foul called on Odom for reaching in) and Brown gets himself another rebound. He passes to Farmar, who quickly brings the ball upcourt, and gets it to Odom; he tries to score over Scals but comes up short, and Ariza can't tip in the miss as Posey collects the rebound. However, he gets tripped up by Trevor and falls out of bounds ... and the refs say it's Lakers' ball!
Man, I am not happy with that call ... and neither is Doc Rivers, as he picks up another technical! Fisher steps to the line for the free throw, but the C's catch Jackson in a bit of chicanery as Derek was just subbed into the game and thus is ineligible to take the shot (nice try Phil). Kobe steps to the line instead and makes the free throw, then Ariza inbounds the ball to Kwame and he finds Bryant spotting up in the corner. Rather than putting up an outside shot, though, he takes it in against two defenders and still manages to score on the layup (45-34 5:28).
Scals tries to answer with the three-point attempt, but misses and Kwame grabs the rebound. He passes to Fisher, who takes it upcourt, then swings the ball around to Kobe. He tries to get the ball inside to Vladimir "Totally" Radmanovic, but it actually bounces off his shoulder and goes out of bounds. Boston regains possession ... but not for long, as Fisher pulls off an acting job worthy of Hollywood - Tony uses his elbow (which admittedly was a stupid move) to try and clear some space between the tow, and Derek goes flying like he was shot!
Nevertheless, the refs buy his act and whistle Allen for the offensive foul ... That makes it Lakers' ball, as Tony almost immediately commits another foul (his third) trying to guard Kobe. That puts the super-duperstar at the line, and he makes both free throws (45-36 4:34).
House comes back into the game, as Tony has to take a seat ... Meanwhile, Garnett is called for the travelling violation trying to make a spin move around Radmanovic (Boston's sixth turnover). The Lakers take back control of the ball, as Fisher passes inside to Bynum, where he goes up for the dunk but is fouled from behind by Perkins.
Not only that, but Bynum catches KG across the right eye with his elbow on the way down ... Garnett comes out of it with a bloody face, as he takes the opportunity to point at his "crimson mask" and yell at the refs "Now THAT'S a foul!"
He appears to be okay, but still has to go to the locker room to have the cut closed; "Big Baby" comes into the game to replace him, as Bynum heads to the line and makes both free throws (45-38 3:20).
At the other end, Perk takes the ball right at Bynum and draws the foul (that might have actually been a clean block by Andrew); in any event, Kendrick goes to the line with 3:13 remaining for two free-throw attempts of his own ... but misses both of them!
The Lakers take possession with a chance to get within five (or better) ... however, Kobe misses the layup (!) and Ariza grabs the rebound while stepping out of bounds.
It's Celtics' ball, as House brings it up the floor and Fisher tries to perform another flop job by hitting the deck after Eddie barely touches him ... Luckily, the refs don't fall for it this time, so House is left wide open and knocks down the jumper (47-38 2:46).
Two free throws by Kobe make it a seven-point game again, then Davis misses the fallaway jumper over Odom, and Luke Walton-Disney takes down the rebound. We head back the other way, as Bynum makes his way into the paint and scores with the hook shot over the outstretched hand of "Big Baby" (47-42 1:27).
Doc calls for time at the 1:18 mark, as KG (with four stitches and one big band-aid over his eye) comes back into the game to replace Davis. Pierce then slices down the lane and draws the foul on Bynum, earning himself a trip to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (48-42 1:15).
Kobe then misses the fallaway jumper over Perkins, and Pierce grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to KG; he's double-teamed with nowhere to go, so he kicks it back out to Pierce and he buries the trey (51-42 :50.2)!
Kobe tries to answer with a deep three-point attempt (as Paul is right in his face); that misses, but Kwame takes the offensive board and kicks it out to Fisher, who tries a three-point shot of his own. That too misses (tee hee) and Garnett controls the rebound; he passes upcourt to Pierce, where he's fouled by Kobe (his third) ... LA is over the limit, so Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (53-42 :23.8).
The Lakers hold for the final shot, as Sasha Vuja-cicle is having some real problems trying to keep the ball away from Posey ... He's finally able to get it to Fisher, and he throws up an off-balance three-point attempt at the buzzer; sure enough, he buries it (!) as the Celts' lead is cut to eight (53-45) at halftime.
That's still a pretty good lead, though, as the C's have effectively limited Kobe to "only" 16 points (3-15 FG, 10-11 FT) ... Paul Pierce was able to score his sixteen in a much more efficient manner (4-8 FG), while Tony Allen has settled in nicely to his starting role as point guard (13 PTS, 4-5 FG, 2 AST).
THIRD QUARTER
The Lakers have decided to dump the short shorts to start the second half, and are back to their normal attire (thank goodness, those were proving to be a major distraction for yours truly, I couldn't focus on the game) ... Anyway, Pierce buries a trey to open the quarter, then Kobe tries to answer but misses the three-point attempt; Paul comes away with the rebound, and passes up ahead to Tony, who dishes the ball inside to Garnett. He finishes with the turnaround jumper over Odom (58-45 11:19).
Lamar scores with the left-handed floater over Perk, then Ray blows past Ariza and hits the layup (60-47 10:32).
Trevor then takes it to the basket against KG, and gets bumped while scoring the bucket; he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (60-50 9:55) ... At the other end, Ariza appears to strip Tony of the ball, but the refs whistle him for the foul (his third). Boston retains possession, as Ray misses the outside shot, but Garnett grabs the offensive board and scores with the putback (62-50 8:49).
Kobe knocks down the jumper (he's now 4-for-17 shooting), then Pierce misses the three-point attempt. However, KG gets himself another offensive rebound (reaching up over Ariza to snatch the ball away) and throws down the LOUD one-handed dunk (64-52 8:04)!
Odom then makes the nice move around Pierce along the baseline, and finishes with the one-hand slam of his own; the ref also blows his whistle, but it turns out that the foul was on Fisher away from the ball ... So, count the basket as the Celts take possession, and Paul makes a strong move to the hoop (maybe he wants to get in on the dunking act) where he draws the foul on Bynum. That brings Kwame up off the bench to replace him, as Pierce steps to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (65-54 7:32).
Odom scores again (he's got 14 points), then Fisher strips Paul of the ball and takes it up the floor for the 3-on-1 fast break. He gives it up to Kobe, who goes in over Tony for the layup (65-58 6:51).
The crowd is chanting for defense (while Turiaf is hopping up and down on the Lakers bench like a moron), as Paul misses the pullup jumper over Odom, and Bryant takes down the rebound. He brings it up the floor himself, then tries for the fallaway "jay" over Ray, but misses the shot (he still can't find the touch) and Garnett comes away with the rebound.
He passes to Pierce, who slowly brings it upcourt, then gives the ball to Ray and he passes inside to Garnett. He tries to make a move to the basket, but instead draws the foul on Kwame ... Brown doesn't like that call, and actually gets up in the ref's face to argue (or more accurately, looks down at the ref's face to argue); considering how the techs have been flying tonight, that's not a wise move, and sure enough Kwame gets one of his very own.
So, Ray makes the free throw, then Garnett steps to the line and adds two more (68-58 6:00) ... Celts are starting to build some momentum, as Odom backrims the jumpshot and KG grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt to Allen, who tries to work the baseline against Kobe, but instead kicks it out to Tony open behind the three-point line. His shot misses, but Ray grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Pierce, who drives on Walton (Gorman: "Luke grabbed Pierce's jersey from behind!") and has his layup attempt blocked by Odom. Luckily, Garnett controls the loose ball and finishes with the layup (70-58 5:20).
Walton answers with a trey, then Ray fakes the three-point attempt before instead passing the ball inside to Perk; he's fouled by Kwame, so Kendrick heads to the line with 4:53 remaining but proceeds to miss both free throws (whoopsie) ... The Lakers have a chance to cut the Celtics' lead further, however Walton has his shot partially blocked by Garnett, and Ray collects the loose ball. He heads back the other way, and passes to Pierce, but Fisher knocks the ball out of his hands and out of bounds at the 4:11 mark.
Posey comes into the game to replace Ray, as Paul frontrims the three-point attempt but KG comes away with the offensive board. He passes back to Pierce, who just wipes out Fisher trying to make a spin move in the paint; no foul is called (which the crowd doesn't like) so he passes inside to Perkins and he finishes with the layup (72-61 3:58).
Kwame scores, then Posey airballs a three-point attempt (!) and Walton collects the rebound. He passes up ahead to Bryant, who finds Fisher open behind the line and he buries the trey (72-66 3:18).
Now that the crowd likes, as Boston calls a timeout. When play resumes, KG is on the bench (18 PTS, 11 REB) and House is on the floor ... Meanwhile, Walton commits the foul trying to steal the ball from Pierce, and the Lakers are over the limit so Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (74-66 3:07).
At the other end, Walton sets the screen on Tony to try and free up Kobe, but Pierce steps into Bryant's path and draws the offensive foul call! Nice play by Paul, as the crowd voices their displeasure ... Sure enough, the refs decide to kowtow to the home fans, as they immediately whistle a "makeup call" on Perk setting the pick on Walton (boo).
That offensive foul call gives LA back possession, but Fisher misses the jumpshot and Posey pulls down the 'bound. He passes to Pierce, who takes the ball up the floor and makes a nice spin move to elude Walton and get himself into the paint; it's there where he's hacked by Kwame while going up for the shot (no call) and Walton collects the rebound.
He passes to Odom, who takes it back the other way; he passes inside to Fisher, and he has his shot blocked by Perkins (yes!). Posey scoops up the loose ball, as the Celts have a chance to extend their lead ... but Tony blows the easy layup (!) and Odom takes the rebound. He passes upcourt to Kobe, who tries for the pullup jumpshot but comes up short and Pierce comes away with the carom.
He passes to Tony to start the Celtics' fast break, and he gives the ball right back to Paul; he drives to the hoop and knocks Kwame to the floor as he makes the shot, but the refs call Brown for the blocking foul ... Okay, I'll take that, as Paul makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (77-66 1:30).
Now the Lakers are coming unglued, as Vujacic airballs a three-point attempt (ha HA!) and Pierce hauls down the rebound. He takes it up the floor himself, as Posey sets the pick on Ariza, so Paul uses the space to pull up behind the three-point line and buries it (80-66 :36.7)! Yowza, Pierce now has 12 points in the quarter!
Not only that, but he strips Walton of the ball and gives Boston a chance for the final shot of the quarter ... Paul is covered by Luke, so he blows right past him and pulls up over Vujacic for the short jumper at the buzzer! That makes the score 82 to 66 (Celtics) heading into the final stanza.
An awesome quarter for Pierce, as he now has 30 points (8-16 FG, 11-13 FT) on the night!
FOURTH QUARTER
Paul earns a rest on the bench to start the quarter, as the C's have Tony, Ray, House, Pollard, and Posey on the floor ... Meanwhile, Crittenton has his shot blocked by Scotty, and Posey picks up the loose ball. He passes up the floor to House, and he finds Ray for the pullup jumper over Farmar (84-66 11:31).
Bynum then loses control of the ball, and Posey dives to the floor to save it (hustle until the very end); he calls a 20-second timeout to save the possession, and when play resumes Ray is covered by Radmanovic but has no problem pulling up and knocking down another jumper (86-66 10:50)!
That might just be the final nail in the coffin ... Kobe comes back into the game with 10:33 (Radmanovic sits) as Bynum hits two free throws, then Ray is able to elude Odom and drains the three-pointer (89-68 10:20).
Bryant tries to answer but misses his own three-point attempt (he's now 5-for-21 from the field!), and Ray grabs the rebound. He takes the ball upcourt himself, then finds Tony at the top of the key; he makes the nice pass inside to Posey, where he's hacked by Bynum, so it's time to go to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (90-68 9:56).
Farmar then bricks a three-pointer, as Kobe gets the offensive board but can't bank in the shot (it's just not his night). Bynum fouls Posey going for the rebound (his sixth), so he has to go to the bench to end a very quiet night (22 MIN, 8 PTS, 2-2 FG, 2 REB, 2 TO); Boston regains possession, and House drains a trey (93-68 9:26)! The Celts are now shooting four-for-four to start the quarter, while the Lakers have yet to make a basket (0-5 FG).
Okay, NOW that's the final nail in the coffin ... However, before I wrap things up, let's fast forward to the final few minutes of the game; there's a little "incident" that I feel I must document for posterity's sake.
It's a 19-point lead (103-84) with 3:03 remaining in the game. Crittenton then tries to make an alleyoop pass inside to Odom, but KG rejects his layup attempt (and let's out an audible "Get that shit outta here!" for good measure). Ray collects the loose ball and is just dribblling the ball, when Lamar decides to give him a shoulder tackle right into the Celtics bench!
Seriously, without any provocation, he just decided that he was suddenly trying out for the NFL ... I don't know if he was angry that he just had his shot blocked and wanted to take that aggression out on somebody, but it was completely uncalled for and the textbook definition of a "dirty play".
Nothing comes of the incident (just a lot of shouting) ... but the really weird thing is that the ref (aside from assessing Odom with an obvious flagrant foul) decides to whistle Ray Allen for a technical foul as well! Now, the logic behind that truly escapes me.
Odom is sent to the bench (he should've been kicked out of the game), as Farmar makes the undeserved free throw, then Ray steps to the line and makes both of his (105-85 2:57).
It's Celtics' ball, as Garnett rises up above Turiaf and buries the 18-footer (107-85 2:44); so there!
KG then blocks a shot by Farmar (think he's a little miffed right now?), and Farmar fouls Posey going for the loose ball ... That sends James to the line, as Kevin takes a seat (to a mix of cheers and boos), where he makes one-of-two free throws (108-85 2:22).
An ugly ending to a great game, as the Celtics dominate 110 to 91 ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 110, Los Angeles 91
GAME RATING:
19
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 37 MIN, 33 PTS (9-19 FG, 11-13 FT), 8 REB, 4 STL, 3 AST
- Garnett: 30 MIN, 22 PTS (9-13 FG), 12 REB (5 OFF), 6 AST, 3 BLK, 2 STL
- R. Allen: 28 MIN, 19 PTS (6-13 FG), 6 REB
- T. Allen: 42 MIN, 16 PTS (5-10 FG), 4 AST, 4 TO, 1 STL
- Posey: 30 MIN, 8 PTS (3-6 FG), 8 REB, 3 AST
- Bryant: 37 MIN, 22 PTS (6-25 FG, 10-11 FT), 6 REB, 3 AST
- Odom: 41 MIN, 14 PTS (6-17 FG), 10 REB, 2 BLK
- Fisher: 25 MIN, 11 PTS (4-10 FG), 3 AST
POST-GAME NOTES:
- The Lakers shot just 35 percent from the floor (29-82 FG), including 29 percent from three-point land (7-24 3PTers) ... The Celtics, meanwhile, were 46 percent shooting (37-80 FG).
- Last time Boston won four straight West Coast road games was in 1986 ... See, it's Eighties Night, it all ties in!
- As expected, Pierce was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
Recap: Game 28 (at Utah)
BOSTON CELTICS AT UTAH JAZZ
December 29, 2007
9:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
EnergySolutions Arena (Salt Lake City, UT)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Dr. Laura Behnke and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Jazz Starting Lineup: Ronnie "Milwaukee" Brewer, Duran-Deron Williams, Mehmet Did It Ever Okur To You, Carlos Boozer Brody, I Would Walk Ten Thousand CJ Miles
We've been down this road with the Patriots over (celticsblog.com) and over again (celticsblog.com) ... Suffice it to say, if you could tear yourself away from tonight's matchup against the New York Giants (and the quest for a perfect regular season), there's a little ol' basketball game going on in the city with the salty lake that you might be interested in.
Furthermore, while it's not as sexy as "16-and-oh", the C's are attempting to surpass their win total from all of last season (24) before the month of January ... I think you'd agree that this would be rather impressive.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a double-digit loss to the Lakers last night (109-123), so it's a toss-up on whether it's fatigue or wounded pride that will be effecting their play tonight.
FIRST QUARTER
Boozer scores on the left-handed layup to open the game, while at the other end Allen misses the outside jumpshot over Okur; Perkins grabs the offensive board, but then tries to kick the ball out to Pierce and it winds up over his head and out of bounds.
Utah regains possession, however Rondo steals the ball from Williams and sends it upcourt to Ray, who finds KG under the basket for the layup (2-all 11:00).
Miles answers with a three-pointer, then Pierce misses the fallaway jumper, but Garnett pulls down an offensive rebound of his own. He kicks the ball out to Rondo at the top of the key, where he finds Ray spotting up in the corner. Instead of taking the shot, he tries to pass inside to Perk, but that turns out to be the wrong move, as Miles gets a hand on it and Okur comes away with the loose ball.
We head back the other way, as Boozer passes inside to Miles, and he tries to score on the layup over Allen; his shot comes up short, as Rondo takes down the rebound. He makes his way up the floor, then finds Ray who knocks down the 20-footer (4-5 9:12).
Okur tries the jumpshot with KG in his face, and winds up shooting an airball (cue the Nelson Muntz "ha HA!" WAV file); Rondo secures the rebound, then dribbles coast to coast and finishes with a layup (6-5 8:37).
A three-pointer by Allen gives the Celts a four-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the quarter, then Deron loses Rajon off the dribble and knocks down the pullup "jay" (11-9 6:48).
Rondo tries to answer by driving down the lane and is able to draw the foul on Williams, so he steps to the line but can only make one-of-two free throws (12-9 6:37).
Brewer and Garnett trade baskets, then Matt "Lord of the" Harpring (just into the game) is left wide open for the 15-footer (14-13 5:34); the Jazz are off to a good start offensively, hitting six of their first nine shots.
Pierce then misses (the Celts, meanwhile, are 6-for-11 from the floor), but Perkins grabs the offensive rebound (Boston does have a 7-to-1 edge on the boards) and scores on the hook shot (16-13 5:09).
A basket by Harpring with 3:45 on the clock gets Utah within one, then Rondo tries to score on the layup but comes up short; not only that, but he ends up fouling Boozer going for the rebound ... Oooh, Rajon seems to have tweaked his knee during that scuffle (not good), as the Jazz regain possession and Williams makes the bounce pass to Boozer standing at the free-throw line where he buries the jumper (20-21 3:10). Man, Utah's still shooting the lights out, as they have made eight of their last nine shots.
Rondo drives down the lane and fakes a pass to Allen before scoring on the layup (grimacing all the way) to put Boston back ahead, then he gives the (intentional?) foul to Williams at the other end of the floor. He limps to the bench with 2:33 to go in the quarter, as Hugh Laurie comes in to take over the point-guard position ... It's still Jazz ball, though, as Harpring muscles his way in over Pierce for the layup (22-23 2:25).
Wow, it seems like the home team can't miss tonight, as a basket by Paul "General" Millsap gives Utah the three-point edge ... However, Allen quickly answers with another three-pointer (25-all 1:18); he must be ready to shake off his 4-for-13 shooting night against the Sonics *fingers crossed*
Parker Posey is subbed into the game at this point to try and up the defensive intensity ... Sure enough, he and House pressure Jason Hart-Foundation in the backcourt and nearly force the turnover. However, Jason is able to recover and forces up an off-balance jumpshot as the shot clock expires, and it still goes in (25-27 :52.1)! See what I told you about the Jazz being unable to miss?
House drains a trey with 31 seconds remaining, but Utah won't be denied tonight, as Millsap makes his way into the paint and drains the fallaway jumper over Eddie (28-29 :15.2).
Celts can't get a shot off, as the quarter ends with Boston still trailing 28 to 29 ... A scorcher for the Jazz thus far, as they're shooting SEVENTY PERCENT from the field (14-20 FG)! The funny thing is, Boston ain't too shabby themselves (11-18 FG), so that's why the game is as close as it is.
SECOND QUARTER
House, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis, Posey, Ray, and Allan Tony start the quarter ... Meanwhile, Posey is called for the foul on Okur while he's taking the shot, so Mehmet steps to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (28-30 11:15).
Tony then misses, and Davis tries to save the rebound from going out of bounds, but sends the ball right to Harpring (dangit); he takes it up the floor, then finds Milsap under the basket, who misses the shot but is able to tip it in himself (28-32 10:50).
House answers with another three-pointer (Boston is now 4-for-4 from beyond the arc), but at the other end Deron is left wide open and knocks down the 20-footer (31-34 10:15).
A basket by "Big Baby" gets the C's back within one, then Miles buries the turnaround "jay" with Tony right in his face (33-36 9:11); sheesh, they really can't miss tonight!
Ray buries a trey (the longball has been Boston's saving grace thus far) to tie the game, but at the other end Hart gets into the act by draining the 18-foot jumper (36-38 8:36); Utah has made four of their first six shots to open the second quarter (eep).
House tries to answer with another three-point attempt, but is wide of the mark. However, Davis grabs the offensive board and is fouled trying to score on the putback. The rookie lets out a little "war cry" as his teammates help him up off the floor (which draws some boos from the crowd), as he steps to the line and makes both free throws to get his team within one (37-38 8:11) ... If the C's want to keep this game close, they'll need to improve their free-throw percentage (4-10 FT).
Okur then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Posey, and "Big Baby" snares the rebound. He passes to House, who dribbles upcourt, then finds Ray in the lane but he misses the little bunny. Millsap grabs the rebound and heads back the other way, where he tries to pass to Miles and it appears that he loses the ball out of bounds; however, the refs say that Tony was the last to touch it, so Utah retains possession with 7:33 remaining in the half.
During the stoppage of play, Garnett and Pierce come back into the game (as Davis and Ray Allen take a seat) ... However, they are powerless to stop Miles from scoring on the 15-foot jumper (37-40 7:20).
At the other end, KG comes up short on the jumpshot, but gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out to Pierce. He tries a three-point shot which comes up short, however Garnett winds up with another offensive board (nice) and gets the ball back to Pierce. He passes right back to Kevin, as the defense collapses around him; rather than force the issue, KG kicks it out to Tony who buries the 18-footer (39-40 6:40).
Posey then knocks the ball out of Williams' hands and out of bounds with 6:13 on the clock; Rondo comes into the game at this point after a long absence to replace House (luckily, it looks to be some cramping in his hamstring that was causing the problem and not the knee, whew!). However, it looks like he got a little cold spending all that time on the bench, as Deron is able to lose him behind a pick from Boozer and Rajon isn't quick enough to get back and cover him as he pulls up for the three-point shot and buries it (39-43 6:09)! Egads, Utah is now 20-for-29 from the floor!
Glenn Rivers M.D. needs a timeout, and when play resumes KG backs down Boozer before knocking down the turnaround jumper (41-43 5:37).
Miles answers with the floater over Posey (this is nuts), then Garnett makes a sweet over-the-shoulder pass to Tony under the basket for the layup (43-45 4:58); Boston now has 14 assists on 17 baskets (not too shabby).
T-Allen then bumps Williams off the shot, putting him at the line where he makes one-of-two foul shots with 4:40 to go. At the other end, Garnett again tries to back down Boozer, as he forces up the off-balance shot but still finds the bottom of the net (45-46 4:19); Gorman: "Nice ad lib by KG!"
Tony is then whistled for another foul trying to cover Boozer, so Carlos heads to the charity stripe with four minutes left in the half (the other Allen comes in to replace Tony, while Perkins also comes back into the game for Posey); Utah's big man then proceeds to miss both free throws, as the Jazz are now 2-for-6 as a team from the line.
Unfortunately, the Celts can't capitalize, as Pierce tries to throw a lazy pass to Rondo and Williams easily picks it off. He hustles back the other way, and Rajon accidentally trips him up trying to stop his forward momentum; that's Rondo's third foul already, so he has to head bac kto the bench while House comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Brewer is able to elude Ray off the dribble and buries the jumper (45-48 3:40).
Doc calls another timeout, and when play resumes Perk backs down Boozer and scores on the fallaway "jay" (47-48 3:18); that's eight points (3-5 FG) for Kendrick.
Pierce is then called for the foul away from the ball on Miles, sending him to the line for two free throws. With his team now down by three, Paul tries to makes his way down the lane, but CJ strips him and Boozer collects the loose ball. He gives it to Williams, who goes the length of the floor and tries to take it in over Ray for the layup; his shot misses, but Millsap is in perfect position to tip it in (47-52 2:44)!
Allen then misses from three-point range, but Perkins grabs the offensive board and tries to score on the putback. However, Millsap comes up with the big rejection as the ball sails out of bounds; Boston retains possession, and Ray finds KG for the pullup jumper (49-52 2:05); Kevin now has 12 points (6-7 FG).
Miles then airballs a three-point attempt (!) and Allen collects the rebound. He dribbles coast to coast and finds Pierce wide open behind the arc, but his shot clanks off the rim (Paul now has zero points on 0-for-5 shooting!) and Millsap hauls down the carom. He gives it to Deron who takes it back the other way, then tries to pass inside to Boozer but Perkins picks it off.
A nice defensive play from our young center, but he gets a bit too overzealous and tries to make a fullcourt pass to House that winds up somewhere in the second row (for Boston's eight turnover of the half). Utah regains possession, and Williams slices down the lane between two defenders for the layup (49-54 :31.6); ugh.
Celts hold for (close to) the last shot, as KG tries to force the ball inside to Pierce, but Millsap picks off the pass and sends it upcourt to Deron. He has only House to beat on the 2-on-1 fast break, so he makes the bounce pass inside to Brewer, and Eddie tries to tie him up but gets him around the neck and sends Ronnie crashing to the floor (ouch).
He's alright, but the crowd wants a flagrant foul, and the refs oblige as Brewer heads to the line where he makes both free throws (49-56 :05.0); the Jazz still have possession, but Millsap comes up short on the layup attempt, as the score remains 49 to 56 at halftime ... Utah continues to have the hot shooting touch (24-37 FG). The only reason they're not blowing Boston out of the water is because the C's are still shooting 49 percent themselves (20-41 FG) and are outrebounding their opponents 20 to 12.
However, the Celts do have nine turnovers (the Jazz have just four), so they'll have to be a little more careful handling the ball if they want to give themselves a chance to pull out a victory tonight.
THIRD QUARTER
Pierce opens the second half by taking the ball aggressively to the basket, and is able to draw the foul on Miles. So, he steps up to the line and makes both free throws for his first points of the night (51-56 11:52); yikes.
Williams is then called for a palming violation, as Boston regains possession and Pierce winds up with a three-pointer (54-56 10:54); watch out, Paul is heating up (5 PTS, 1-7 FG)!
Two free throws by Okur put Utah's lead back up to four, then Pierce works the baseline around Miles and gives him the pumpfake to draw the foul; not only that, but he's still able to score the layup, so he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (57-58 10:29).
That's Miles' third foul, so Harpring comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Rondo strips Williams of the ball, but Boozer is able to recover and gets it back to Deron. He then makes a no-look pass inside to Harpring for the open layup (57-60 10:09); ah, that was a missed opportunity.
Sure enough, the momentum seems to be back in Utah's favor, as a basket by Williams puts the deficit back up to five. KG then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Boozer, and Okur pulls down the rebound. He passes to Deron, who dribbles up the floor before passing back to Mehmet open behind the three-point line, and the 6-foot-11 center buries it (57-65 8:28)!
Another basket by Pierce (he's a man on a mission now!) gets the C's within six, then Boozer pulls up over Perk for the 15-footer (59-67 7:18) ... However, Boston hasn't given up yet, as Paul is double-teamed in the paint, so he gives the ball to Rondo. He makes a nice bounce pass inside to Perkins for the layup while being fouled by Okur, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (62-67 6:58).
Williams scores again, then Ray misses the three-point attempt and Perkins tips the loose rebound out of bounds (for the record, Pierce is 4-for-5 from the field in the quarter, while the rest of his teammates are a combined 1-of-7). The Jazz regain possession, but Okur misses the jumpshot and KG hauls down the 'bound.
He passes to Rondo, who dribbles coast to coast and tries to finish with the layup, but Mehmet makes his way into the play to block the shot into the stands! Nice defensive play, but Boston retains possession and Garnett knocks down the 15-foot jumper (64-69 5:21).
Pierce then picks off a pass by Williams, and sends the ball up ahead to Ray who takes it in for the layup (66-69 4:54).
It's a four-point deficit with two minutes left in the quarter, when Posey misses the three-point attempt, but Ray grabs the offensive board and quickly pulls up for the short jumper (74-76 1:45).
Boozer then misses, and Rondo comes away with the rebound as the C's have a chance to tie or take the lead ... He passes inside to Garnett, who tries to score on the layup but is absolutely swallowed up by Boozer (could've been a foul called there, in my opinion). Carlos winds up with the ball and passes to Deron, as he heads back the other way and passes inside to Millsap for the layup (74-78 1:09).
The crowd is getting loud now, as Ray tries to make the bounce pass inside to Rondo, but he wasn't expecting the bass as the ball bounces harmlessly out of bounds ... Utah regains possession with 39.7 seconds left (as Davis and T-Allen are in to replace Garnett and Ray), and Hart goes for broke with the three-point attempt but comes up short.
However, Millsap grabs the offensive board, and tries to pass inside to Harpring ... Not so fast, as Posey comes away with the steal, and Matt ends up fouling him trying to take the ball back. The Jazz are over the limit, so James heads to the line and makes both free throws (76-78 :22.1).
Brewer misses a shot at the buzzer, as the score remains 76 to 78 (Jazz) heading into the final stanza.
FOURTH QUARTER
A three-pointer by House gives Boston their first lead since the first quarter (wow), then Tony strips Williams of the ball and takes it all the way in for the layup (81-78 11:03)!
Harpring then fumbles the ball trying to make a move down the lane, and Allen winds up with another steal ... He takes it strong to the basket and is fouled by Millsap, so he heads to the line and makes both free throws (83-78 9:55).
Tony then strips Deron of the ball (for his third steal in less than three minutes!) and has a wide-open path to the basket ... He goes up for the two-hand slam, but (obviously still tentative with that knee) winds up blowing the dunk! Luckily, Posey is right underneath the basket and ends up getting fouled by Okur going for the rebound; Boston retains possession with 9:40 on the clock, but House front-rims a three-point attempt (dangit!) and Okur lets the ball bounce out of bounds.
Utah has a chance to build some momentum now, as Okur knocks down the 20-footer (83-80 9:17). However, at the other end Pierce gives the pumpfake to get Harpring in the air, as he absorbs the contact to draw the foul and heads to the line for both free throws (85-80 8:56) ... After going scoreless in the first half, Paul has come on strong with 12 points (3-10 FG).
Williams then tries to pass inside to Harpring with Pierce covering him, but it seems as if Matt wants to work on his acting chops (maybe he fancies himself as the next Matt Damon) as he gives a world-class flop job to try and fool the refs ... Luckily, they don't bite, as the ball rolls out of bounds for the turnover. Boston regains possession, and Pierce knocks down another trey (88-80 7:49)!
Pierce is letting us know why people call him "The Truth", as Boozer misses the shot and Posey secures the rebound. He passes to House, who finds Paul in the paint; he takes it in against Harpring and misses the shot, but gets his own rebound and lays it in (90-82 7:06).
Things are looking good ... until the Jazz run off six straight points (including a three-point from Okur and an uncontested layup by Deron) to cut the lead down to just two! The Celts call a timeout with 5:59 left in the game, and when play resumes KG winds up being double-teamed. He gets out of it by making the nice pass inside to Rajon who appears to score on the layup, but waive off the basket as Tony is called for the offensive foul away from the ball (he was using his hands to keep Williams out of the paint).
Ugh, the Jazz regain possession, as Okur is covered nicely by Posey with the shot clock winding down. Unable to get the ball to one of his teammates, Mehmet is forced to throw up a three-point attempt as the buzzer sounds, but is able to bank it in (90-91 5:11)!
Garnett tries to answer, but misses the shot and Boozer pulls down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Williams, who gets the ball inside to Okur, but Pierce winds up blocking the shot (!) and Rondo recovers the loose ball. We head back the other way, as Rajon passes inside to Ray who scores on the finger roll (92-91 4:27).
Deron scores to put Utah back ahead, then Pierce is fouled by Boozer so he heads to the line and sinks both free throws (94-93 3:49).
Williams makes two foul shots of his own, while Paul makes another strong move to the basket to draw the foul (this time on Brewer), however he can only make one-of-two from the line (95-all 2:53).
That means that the Jazz have the ball with a chance to take the lead ... However, Rondo strips Williams (yes!) and Ray recovers the loose ball. He gets it back to Rajon, who tries to set up the offense but Utah is playing some great defense (with the crowd roaring their approval). He winds up giving the ball back to Allen with the shot clock winding down, so Ray pulls up for the three-point attempt at the buzzer - with Miles right on him - and buries it (98-95 2:19)!
A basket by Boozer with 1:22 remaining gets Utah within one, as Doc calls a 20-second timeout. When play resumes, Pierce misses the jumpshot over Brewer, and Carlos nabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Williams, who tries to drive down the lane before kicking it out to Brewer.
Unable to get a shot off, he passes inside to Boozer, who's fouled by Pierce going for the layup ... That's Paul's fifth foul (he stays in the game), as Carlos heads to the line and makes the first free throw but misses the second (!) and Rondo winds up with the loose rebound (98-all :43.8).
No timeout here, as Rondo brings it up the floor and passes to Pierce, who's covered by Brewer but blows right past him and goes in for layup (100-98 :28.3).
Miles then goes for the lead but misses the three-point attempt, and Pierce pulls down the rebound. At first, the Utah players don't seem to realize that they need to commit the foul or else Boston will run out the clock, but someone finally wises up and grabs Paul. That puts him at the line, where he calmly makes both foul shots (102-98 :11.9).
Jerry "Savings And" Sloan calls for time, and when play resumes Williams tries the three-point attempt over Tony but backrims it. Pierce gets himself another rebound, and (before the Jazz can react) he sends a fullcourt pass ahead to T-Allen, who is wide open for the layup - doesn't wanna take a chance with the dunk! - to put this game away (104-98 :01.4)!
It was touch-and-go for awhile there, but the Celts come away with the hard-fought 104-to-98 victory ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Utah 98
GAME RATING:
15
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
POST-GAME NOTES:
December 29, 2007
9:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
EnergySolutions Arena (Salt Lake City, UT)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Dr. Laura Behnke and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Jazz Starting Lineup: Ronnie "Milwaukee" Brewer, Duran-Deron Williams, Mehmet Did It Ever Okur To You, Carlos Boozer Brody, I Would Walk Ten Thousand CJ Miles
We've been down this road with the Patriots over (celticsblog.com) and over again (celticsblog.com) ... Suffice it to say, if you could tear yourself away from tonight's matchup against the New York Giants (and the quest for a perfect regular season), there's a little ol' basketball game going on in the city with the salty lake that you might be interested in.
Furthermore, while it's not as sexy as "16-and-oh", the C's are attempting to surpass their win total from all of last season (24) before the month of January ... I think you'd agree that this would be rather impressive.
The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a double-digit loss to the Lakers last night (109-123), so it's a toss-up on whether it's fatigue or wounded pride that will be effecting their play tonight.
FIRST QUARTER
Boozer scores on the left-handed layup to open the game, while at the other end Allen misses the outside jumpshot over Okur; Perkins grabs the offensive board, but then tries to kick the ball out to Pierce and it winds up over his head and out of bounds.
Utah regains possession, however Rondo steals the ball from Williams and sends it upcourt to Ray, who finds KG under the basket for the layup (2-all 11:00).
Miles answers with a three-pointer, then Pierce misses the fallaway jumper, but Garnett pulls down an offensive rebound of his own. He kicks the ball out to Rondo at the top of the key, where he finds Ray spotting up in the corner. Instead of taking the shot, he tries to pass inside to Perk, but that turns out to be the wrong move, as Miles gets a hand on it and Okur comes away with the loose ball.
We head back the other way, as Boozer passes inside to Miles, and he tries to score on the layup over Allen; his shot comes up short, as Rondo takes down the rebound. He makes his way up the floor, then finds Ray who knocks down the 20-footer (4-5 9:12).
Okur tries the jumpshot with KG in his face, and winds up shooting an airball (cue the Nelson Muntz "ha HA!" WAV file); Rondo secures the rebound, then dribbles coast to coast and finishes with a layup (6-5 8:37).
A three-pointer by Allen gives the Celts a four-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the quarter, then Deron loses Rajon off the dribble and knocks down the pullup "jay" (11-9 6:48).
Rondo tries to answer by driving down the lane and is able to draw the foul on Williams, so he steps to the line but can only make one-of-two free throws (12-9 6:37).
Brewer and Garnett trade baskets, then Matt "Lord of the" Harpring (just into the game) is left wide open for the 15-footer (14-13 5:34); the Jazz are off to a good start offensively, hitting six of their first nine shots.
Pierce then misses (the Celts, meanwhile, are 6-for-11 from the floor), but Perkins grabs the offensive rebound (Boston does have a 7-to-1 edge on the boards) and scores on the hook shot (16-13 5:09).
A basket by Harpring with 3:45 on the clock gets Utah within one, then Rondo tries to score on the layup but comes up short; not only that, but he ends up fouling Boozer going for the rebound ... Oooh, Rajon seems to have tweaked his knee during that scuffle (not good), as the Jazz regain possession and Williams makes the bounce pass to Boozer standing at the free-throw line where he buries the jumper (20-21 3:10). Man, Utah's still shooting the lights out, as they have made eight of their last nine shots.
Rondo drives down the lane and fakes a pass to Allen before scoring on the layup (grimacing all the way) to put Boston back ahead, then he gives the (intentional?) foul to Williams at the other end of the floor. He limps to the bench with 2:33 to go in the quarter, as Hugh Laurie comes in to take over the point-guard position ... It's still Jazz ball, though, as Harpring muscles his way in over Pierce for the layup (22-23 2:25).
Wow, it seems like the home team can't miss tonight, as a basket by Paul "General" Millsap gives Utah the three-point edge ... However, Allen quickly answers with another three-pointer (25-all 1:18); he must be ready to shake off his 4-for-13 shooting night against the Sonics *fingers crossed*
Parker Posey is subbed into the game at this point to try and up the defensive intensity ... Sure enough, he and House pressure Jason Hart-Foundation in the backcourt and nearly force the turnover. However, Jason is able to recover and forces up an off-balance jumpshot as the shot clock expires, and it still goes in (25-27 :52.1)! See what I told you about the Jazz being unable to miss?
House drains a trey with 31 seconds remaining, but Utah won't be denied tonight, as Millsap makes his way into the paint and drains the fallaway jumper over Eddie (28-29 :15.2).
Celts can't get a shot off, as the quarter ends with Boston still trailing 28 to 29 ... A scorcher for the Jazz thus far, as they're shooting SEVENTY PERCENT from the field (14-20 FG)! The funny thing is, Boston ain't too shabby themselves (11-18 FG), so that's why the game is as close as it is.
SECOND QUARTER
House, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis, Posey, Ray, and Allan Tony start the quarter ... Meanwhile, Posey is called for the foul on Okur while he's taking the shot, so Mehmet steps to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (28-30 11:15).
Tony then misses, and Davis tries to save the rebound from going out of bounds, but sends the ball right to Harpring (dangit); he takes it up the floor, then finds Milsap under the basket, who misses the shot but is able to tip it in himself (28-32 10:50).
House answers with another three-pointer (Boston is now 4-for-4 from beyond the arc), but at the other end Deron is left wide open and knocks down the 20-footer (31-34 10:15).
A basket by "Big Baby" gets the C's back within one, then Miles buries the turnaround "jay" with Tony right in his face (33-36 9:11); sheesh, they really can't miss tonight!
Ray buries a trey (the longball has been Boston's saving grace thus far) to tie the game, but at the other end Hart gets into the act by draining the 18-foot jumper (36-38 8:36); Utah has made four of their first six shots to open the second quarter (eep).
House tries to answer with another three-point attempt, but is wide of the mark. However, Davis grabs the offensive board and is fouled trying to score on the putback. The rookie lets out a little "war cry" as his teammates help him up off the floor (which draws some boos from the crowd), as he steps to the line and makes both free throws to get his team within one (37-38 8:11) ... If the C's want to keep this game close, they'll need to improve their free-throw percentage (4-10 FT).
Okur then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Posey, and "Big Baby" snares the rebound. He passes to House, who dribbles upcourt, then finds Ray in the lane but he misses the little bunny. Millsap grabs the rebound and heads back the other way, where he tries to pass to Miles and it appears that he loses the ball out of bounds; however, the refs say that Tony was the last to touch it, so Utah retains possession with 7:33 remaining in the half.
During the stoppage of play, Garnett and Pierce come back into the game (as Davis and Ray Allen take a seat) ... However, they are powerless to stop Miles from scoring on the 15-foot jumper (37-40 7:20).
At the other end, KG comes up short on the jumpshot, but gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out to Pierce. He tries a three-point shot which comes up short, however Garnett winds up with another offensive board (nice) and gets the ball back to Pierce. He passes right back to Kevin, as the defense collapses around him; rather than force the issue, KG kicks it out to Tony who buries the 18-footer (39-40 6:40).
Posey then knocks the ball out of Williams' hands and out of bounds with 6:13 on the clock; Rondo comes into the game at this point after a long absence to replace House (luckily, it looks to be some cramping in his hamstring that was causing the problem and not the knee, whew!). However, it looks like he got a little cold spending all that time on the bench, as Deron is able to lose him behind a pick from Boozer and Rajon isn't quick enough to get back and cover him as he pulls up for the three-point shot and buries it (39-43 6:09)! Egads, Utah is now 20-for-29 from the floor!
Glenn Rivers M.D. needs a timeout, and when play resumes KG backs down Boozer before knocking down the turnaround jumper (41-43 5:37).
Miles answers with the floater over Posey (this is nuts), then Garnett makes a sweet over-the-shoulder pass to Tony under the basket for the layup (43-45 4:58); Boston now has 14 assists on 17 baskets (not too shabby).
T-Allen then bumps Williams off the shot, putting him at the line where he makes one-of-two foul shots with 4:40 to go. At the other end, Garnett again tries to back down Boozer, as he forces up the off-balance shot but still finds the bottom of the net (45-46 4:19); Gorman: "Nice ad lib by KG!"
Tony is then whistled for another foul trying to cover Boozer, so Carlos heads to the charity stripe with four minutes left in the half (the other Allen comes in to replace Tony, while Perkins also comes back into the game for Posey); Utah's big man then proceeds to miss both free throws, as the Jazz are now 2-for-6 as a team from the line.
Unfortunately, the Celts can't capitalize, as Pierce tries to throw a lazy pass to Rondo and Williams easily picks it off. He hustles back the other way, and Rajon accidentally trips him up trying to stop his forward momentum; that's Rondo's third foul already, so he has to head bac kto the bench while House comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Brewer is able to elude Ray off the dribble and buries the jumper (45-48 3:40).
Doc calls another timeout, and when play resumes Perk backs down Boozer and scores on the fallaway "jay" (47-48 3:18); that's eight points (3-5 FG) for Kendrick.
Pierce is then called for the foul away from the ball on Miles, sending him to the line for two free throws. With his team now down by three, Paul tries to makes his way down the lane, but CJ strips him and Boozer collects the loose ball. He gives it to Williams, who goes the length of the floor and tries to take it in over Ray for the layup; his shot misses, but Millsap is in perfect position to tip it in (47-52 2:44)!
Allen then misses from three-point range, but Perkins grabs the offensive board and tries to score on the putback. However, Millsap comes up with the big rejection as the ball sails out of bounds; Boston retains possession, and Ray finds KG for the pullup jumper (49-52 2:05); Kevin now has 12 points (6-7 FG).
Miles then airballs a three-point attempt (!) and Allen collects the rebound. He dribbles coast to coast and finds Pierce wide open behind the arc, but his shot clanks off the rim (Paul now has zero points on 0-for-5 shooting!) and Millsap hauls down the carom. He gives it to Deron who takes it back the other way, then tries to pass inside to Boozer but Perkins picks it off.
A nice defensive play from our young center, but he gets a bit too overzealous and tries to make a fullcourt pass to House that winds up somewhere in the second row (for Boston's eight turnover of the half). Utah regains possession, and Williams slices down the lane between two defenders for the layup (49-54 :31.6); ugh.
Celts hold for (close to) the last shot, as KG tries to force the ball inside to Pierce, but Millsap picks off the pass and sends it upcourt to Deron. He has only House to beat on the 2-on-1 fast break, so he makes the bounce pass inside to Brewer, and Eddie tries to tie him up but gets him around the neck and sends Ronnie crashing to the floor (ouch).
He's alright, but the crowd wants a flagrant foul, and the refs oblige as Brewer heads to the line where he makes both free throws (49-56 :05.0); the Jazz still have possession, but Millsap comes up short on the layup attempt, as the score remains 49 to 56 at halftime ... Utah continues to have the hot shooting touch (24-37 FG). The only reason they're not blowing Boston out of the water is because the C's are still shooting 49 percent themselves (20-41 FG) and are outrebounding their opponents 20 to 12.
However, the Celts do have nine turnovers (the Jazz have just four), so they'll have to be a little more careful handling the ball if they want to give themselves a chance to pull out a victory tonight.
THIRD QUARTER
Pierce opens the second half by taking the ball aggressively to the basket, and is able to draw the foul on Miles. So, he steps up to the line and makes both free throws for his first points of the night (51-56 11:52); yikes.
Williams is then called for a palming violation, as Boston regains possession and Pierce winds up with a three-pointer (54-56 10:54); watch out, Paul is heating up (5 PTS, 1-7 FG)!
Two free throws by Okur put Utah's lead back up to four, then Pierce works the baseline around Miles and gives him the pumpfake to draw the foul; not only that, but he's still able to score the layup, so he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (57-58 10:29).
That's Miles' third foul, so Harpring comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Rondo strips Williams of the ball, but Boozer is able to recover and gets it back to Deron. He then makes a no-look pass inside to Harpring for the open layup (57-60 10:09); ah, that was a missed opportunity.
Sure enough, the momentum seems to be back in Utah's favor, as a basket by Williams puts the deficit back up to five. KG then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Boozer, and Okur pulls down the rebound. He passes to Deron, who dribbles up the floor before passing back to Mehmet open behind the three-point line, and the 6-foot-11 center buries it (57-65 8:28)!
Another basket by Pierce (he's a man on a mission now!) gets the C's within six, then Boozer pulls up over Perk for the 15-footer (59-67 7:18) ... However, Boston hasn't given up yet, as Paul is double-teamed in the paint, so he gives the ball to Rondo. He makes a nice bounce pass inside to Perkins for the layup while being fouled by Okur, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (62-67 6:58).
Williams scores again, then Ray misses the three-point attempt and Perkins tips the loose rebound out of bounds (for the record, Pierce is 4-for-5 from the field in the quarter, while the rest of his teammates are a combined 1-of-7). The Jazz regain possession, but Okur misses the jumpshot and KG hauls down the 'bound.
He passes to Rondo, who dribbles coast to coast and tries to finish with the layup, but Mehmet makes his way into the play to block the shot into the stands! Nice defensive play, but Boston retains possession and Garnett knocks down the 15-foot jumper (64-69 5:21).
Pierce then picks off a pass by Williams, and sends the ball up ahead to Ray who takes it in for the layup (66-69 4:54).
It's a four-point deficit with two minutes left in the quarter, when Posey misses the three-point attempt, but Ray grabs the offensive board and quickly pulls up for the short jumper (74-76 1:45).
Boozer then misses, and Rondo comes away with the rebound as the C's have a chance to tie or take the lead ... He passes inside to Garnett, who tries to score on the layup but is absolutely swallowed up by Boozer (could've been a foul called there, in my opinion). Carlos winds up with the ball and passes to Deron, as he heads back the other way and passes inside to Millsap for the layup (74-78 1:09).
The crowd is getting loud now, as Ray tries to make the bounce pass inside to Rondo, but he wasn't expecting the bass as the ball bounces harmlessly out of bounds ... Utah regains possession with 39.7 seconds left (as Davis and T-Allen are in to replace Garnett and Ray), and Hart goes for broke with the three-point attempt but comes up short.
However, Millsap grabs the offensive board, and tries to pass inside to Harpring ... Not so fast, as Posey comes away with the steal, and Matt ends up fouling him trying to take the ball back. The Jazz are over the limit, so James heads to the line and makes both free throws (76-78 :22.1).
Brewer misses a shot at the buzzer, as the score remains 76 to 78 (Jazz) heading into the final stanza.
FOURTH QUARTER
A three-pointer by House gives Boston their first lead since the first quarter (wow), then Tony strips Williams of the ball and takes it all the way in for the layup (81-78 11:03)!
Harpring then fumbles the ball trying to make a move down the lane, and Allen winds up with another steal ... He takes it strong to the basket and is fouled by Millsap, so he heads to the line and makes both free throws (83-78 9:55).
Tony then strips Deron of the ball (for his third steal in less than three minutes!) and has a wide-open path to the basket ... He goes up for the two-hand slam, but (obviously still tentative with that knee) winds up blowing the dunk! Luckily, Posey is right underneath the basket and ends up getting fouled by Okur going for the rebound; Boston retains possession with 9:40 on the clock, but House front-rims a three-point attempt (dangit!) and Okur lets the ball bounce out of bounds.
Utah has a chance to build some momentum now, as Okur knocks down the 20-footer (83-80 9:17). However, at the other end Pierce gives the pumpfake to get Harpring in the air, as he absorbs the contact to draw the foul and heads to the line for both free throws (85-80 8:56) ... After going scoreless in the first half, Paul has come on strong with 12 points (3-10 FG).
Williams then tries to pass inside to Harpring with Pierce covering him, but it seems as if Matt wants to work on his acting chops (maybe he fancies himself as the next Matt Damon) as he gives a world-class flop job to try and fool the refs ... Luckily, they don't bite, as the ball rolls out of bounds for the turnover. Boston regains possession, and Pierce knocks down another trey (88-80 7:49)!
Pierce is letting us know why people call him "The Truth", as Boozer misses the shot and Posey secures the rebound. He passes to House, who finds Paul in the paint; he takes it in against Harpring and misses the shot, but gets his own rebound and lays it in (90-82 7:06).
Things are looking good ... until the Jazz run off six straight points (including a three-point from Okur and an uncontested layup by Deron) to cut the lead down to just two! The Celts call a timeout with 5:59 left in the game, and when play resumes KG winds up being double-teamed. He gets out of it by making the nice pass inside to Rajon who appears to score on the layup, but waive off the basket as Tony is called for the offensive foul away from the ball (he was using his hands to keep Williams out of the paint).
Ugh, the Jazz regain possession, as Okur is covered nicely by Posey with the shot clock winding down. Unable to get the ball to one of his teammates, Mehmet is forced to throw up a three-point attempt as the buzzer sounds, but is able to bank it in (90-91 5:11)!
Garnett tries to answer, but misses the shot and Boozer pulls down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Williams, who gets the ball inside to Okur, but Pierce winds up blocking the shot (!) and Rondo recovers the loose ball. We head back the other way, as Rajon passes inside to Ray who scores on the finger roll (92-91 4:27).
Deron scores to put Utah back ahead, then Pierce is fouled by Boozer so he heads to the line and sinks both free throws (94-93 3:49).
Williams makes two foul shots of his own, while Paul makes another strong move to the basket to draw the foul (this time on Brewer), however he can only make one-of-two from the line (95-all 2:53).
That means that the Jazz have the ball with a chance to take the lead ... However, Rondo strips Williams (yes!) and Ray recovers the loose ball. He gets it back to Rajon, who tries to set up the offense but Utah is playing some great defense (with the crowd roaring their approval). He winds up giving the ball back to Allen with the shot clock winding down, so Ray pulls up for the three-point attempt at the buzzer - with Miles right on him - and buries it (98-95 2:19)!
A basket by Boozer with 1:22 remaining gets Utah within one, as Doc calls a 20-second timeout. When play resumes, Pierce misses the jumpshot over Brewer, and Carlos nabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Williams, who tries to drive down the lane before kicking it out to Brewer.
Unable to get a shot off, he passes inside to Boozer, who's fouled by Pierce going for the layup ... That's Paul's fifth foul (he stays in the game), as Carlos heads to the line and makes the first free throw but misses the second (!) and Rondo winds up with the loose rebound (98-all :43.8).
No timeout here, as Rondo brings it up the floor and passes to Pierce, who's covered by Brewer but blows right past him and goes in for layup (100-98 :28.3).
Miles then goes for the lead but misses the three-point attempt, and Pierce pulls down the rebound. At first, the Utah players don't seem to realize that they need to commit the foul or else Boston will run out the clock, but someone finally wises up and grabs Paul. That puts him at the line, where he calmly makes both foul shots (102-98 :11.9).
Jerry "Savings And" Sloan calls for time, and when play resumes Williams tries the three-point attempt over Tony but backrims it. Pierce gets himself another rebound, and (before the Jazz can react) he sends a fullcourt pass ahead to T-Allen, who is wide open for the layup - doesn't wanna take a chance with the dunk! - to put this game away (104-98 :01.4)!
It was touch-and-go for awhile there, but the Celts come away with the hard-fought 104-to-98 victory ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Utah 98
GAME RATING:
15
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 42 MIN, 24 PTS (6-17 FG, 10-11 FT) , 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
- R. Allen: 38 MIN, 23 PTS (9-15 FG, 5-9 3PTers), 4 REB, 3 AST
- Garnett: 36 MIN, 15 PTS (7-13 FG), 9 REB
- Perkins: 22 MIN, 11 PTS (4-8 FG), 9 REB (5 OFF)
- T. Allen: 15 MIN, 10 PTS (4-7 FG), 3 STL
- Rondo: 29 MIN, 7 PTS (3-8 FG), 7 AST, 3 STL
- Williams: 42 MIN, 22 PTS (9-13 FG), 11 AST, 7 TO
- Boozer: 41 MIN, 19 PTS (9-13 FG), 11 REB
- Okur: 30 MIN, 14 PTS (4-14 FG), 5 REB, 4 AST
- Millsap: 21 MIN, 10 PTS (5-7 FG), 5 REB
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Andrei Kirilenko My Eggo did not play for the Jazz tonight (shoulder injury) ... Neither did recent acquisition Ashton Korver, who had just been traded to Utah from Philadelphia (sports.yahoo.com).
- The Jazz ended up shooting 55 percent from the field (40-73 FG), with the Celts up around 46 percent themselves (37-80 FG), including 10-for-21 from three-point land.
- Tony Allen was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- You can also read this recap on CelticsBlog by clicking right here (celticsblog.com).
Recap: Game 27 (at Seattle)
BOSTON CELTICS AT SEATTLE SONICS
December 27, 2007
10:30 PM EST (TNT)
Key Arena (Seattle, WA)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan-Quinn and Doug Collins All Cars ; Evil Ernie Johnson, Omygod You Killed Kenny Smith and Barkley Worse Than His Bite (in-studio) ; David Aldridge Too Far (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Sonics Starting Lineup: Damien "Thorn" Wilkins, Earl drwatson.exe, Chris "Suck My" Wilcox, Kurt "The Ones We Love" Thomas, Kevin Duranting and Raving
If I would have told you last season that tonight's matchup against the Sonics would be a historically relevant game, you probably wouldn't have believed me ... However, look at the facts:
FIRST QUARTER
The first part of tonight's TNT double-header ran a bit long (Cleveland defeated Dallas 88-81), so we join the first quarter already in progress ... Luckily, it's at the 10:25 mark, and no one has scored yet.
However, that quickly changes, as Allen makes a behind-the-back pass to KG, who pulls up and knocks down the 18-foot jumper over Durant (2-0 9:58).
Watson answers with the basket, then Ray tries to work the baseline around Wilkins, but has his shot blocked by Wilcox. Perk is able to recover the loose ball, though, and finishes with the two-hand slam (4-2 8:57).
Wilkins then misses, and Perk grabs the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who makes his way up the floor, and gives the ball to Garnett. Not missing a step, KG gives it right back to Rajon as he's slicing down the lane for the layup attempt; that misses, but he gets his own rebound and kicks it out to Pierce, who wants to take the three-point shot but is covered by Durant. Instead, he drives to the basket and (with the rookie still on him) kicks it out to a wide-open Garnett for the jumper (6-2 8:25).
At the other end, Durant misses the three-point attempt, and KG pulls down the rebound. He again passes to Rondo, who takes it back the other way, then finds the trailer Garnett and he pulls up for another 18-footer that finds the bottom of the net (8-2 7:47).
It's a five-point Celtics lead, when Watson misses the three-point shot with 5:35 on the clock (Seattle's just 3-for-10 from the floor); Rajon gets the rebound and makes an outlet pass to Pierce, who tries to score over Durant but comes up short on the layup attempt (ouch) ... Boston's now just shooting 29 percent (4-14 FG), with Paul missing his first four shots, as the Sonics regain possession and Durant winds up being covered the Garnett. Without fear, the younger Kevin pulls up over the older Kevin and nails the jumpshot (11-8 4:51).
Both teams are off to a slow start, although KG does hit the turnaround "jay" over Thomas to get the lead back up to five (that gives him nine points on 4-for-6 shooting). Wilkins then scores, but Allen quickly answers with the layup off a nice pass from Garnett (15-10 4:02). Durant and Pierce trade baskets, then Thomas makes a nice pass inside to Watson for the easy score (17-14 2:44).
Pierce knocks down the three-pointer (5 PTS, 2-6 FG), then Watson tries to pass inside to Durant, but Ray slaps the ball out of bounds with 2:08 remaining in the quarter. KG takes a seat at this point (Scotty 2 Hotty comes in to replace him), while old friend Wally Szczerberus makes his first appearance of the night ... However, on Wally's first possession he mishandles the pass from Watson and fumbles the ball right into the first row (d'oh!).
Boston regains possession, and Pierce fakes another three-point attempt to get Durant up in the air ... The rookie bites on it, so Paul drives to the basket while the rest of Durant's teammates try to make up for his error and collapse around The Truth. Undeterred, Pierce gets the ball to Perkins, who scores over Nick Collinson-Farrell with the hook shot (22-14 1:46).
Wally then misses the outside shot, but Collinson grabs the offensive board and finishes with the two-hand slam (22-16 1:31). Not to be outdone, Allen drives past Wally and goes right down the lane for the layup (24-16 1:13); he's been quiet thus far in his return (4 PTS, 2-5 FG).
Ex-Celtics draft pick jeffgreen.co.uk comes into the game during the final minute, while Szczerbiak steps out of bounds trying to get a three-point shot off (not a good start to the night for ol' Wally). That's Seattle's fifth turnover, as the Celts regain possession ... However, Pierce can't score on the finger roll, and Perkins tips the loose rebound out of bounds.
The Sonics gets another shot with 42 seconds left in the quarter (while good buddy Del Monte West comes into the game for Watson) ... He makes the nice pass to Collison, and he misses the outside jumpshot, but Durant takes the offensive rebound. He tries to go back up for the quick shot, but Perk is right there to block that stuff out of bounds!
That leaves 23.5 seconds left in the quarter (with 22 ticks on the shot clock), so the Sonics can go for (close to) the final shot ... Parker Posey comes in to replace Kendrick, while Delonte dribbles down the clock with Rajon covering him; he's almost able to come up with the steal, but West recovers and throws up a deep three-point attempt as the buzzer sounds. Miraculously, it goes in (24-19 :02.1)!
Posey can't get a shot off in the final seconds, as Delonte's final heave gets his new team within five points (24-19) of his old team ...
SECOND QUARTER
The Celts start the quarter with Hugh Laurie, Posey, Pollard, Pierce, and Allan Tony ... Meanwhile, Wally misses another shot and House grabs the rebound. He dribbles up the floor, then takes the pick from Pollard (taking Delonte out of the picture) and pulls up for the deep jumper (26-19 11:32).
Green scores, then Tony drives to the basket and draws the foul on Mickael "Ring My" Gelabale, which puts him at the line for two free throws (28-21 11:00).
Green then tries to score again, but frontrims the shot and Allen comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Pierce, and he's hit from behind by Collinson. That earns him a trip to the charity stripe, and two more foul shots gives Boston the nine-point edge (30-21 10:31).
Wally's finally able to make a shot (Seattle is 11-for-25 from the field), while at the other end Pierce misses the pullup jumpshot over Green (Boston is now 11-for-24) and Delonte collects the rebound. He heads back the other way, and finds Wally for the deep jumper (his foot was on the line) to get his team back within five (30-25 9:46).
Two more free throws by Pierce get that up to seven, then West draws the foul on House and makes two of his own (32-27 8:57); those are the Sonics' first free-throw attempts, which pales in comparison to the Celtics' totals (9-12 FT). Somewhere, Tommy is smiling ...
During those free throws, Paul takes a seat (as Ray comes back into the game) ... Meanwhile, the former Sonic misses a three-point attempt, and Wally grabs the rebound. He makes the outlet pass to Delonte, who takes it strong to the hoop and draws another foul on House.
Now Garnett's back out on the floor (Pollard takes a seat), as West steps to the line and makes both free throws (32-29 8:02) ... Now the home team's starting to heat up, as Wally knocks down the three-pointer to tie the score at 32 apiece with 7:30 remaining in the half. Posey answers with a trey of his own (that's Boston's first field goal in the last 4:20!), then Tony fouls Green from behind, sending him to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (35-33 6:32).
Garnett and Johan Petro Where the Pets Go! trade baskets, then Rondo (back into the game for House) finds Posey in the corner ... He airballs the three-point attempt (!) and Gelabale grabs the rebound. He passes up the floor to Delonte, and he spins around Posey before taking it right at Allen for the layup (37-all 5:26)!
West and Szczerbiak have now combined for 16 of Seattle's 23 bench points (Boston's bench thus far has only contributed seven points) ... Meanwhile, Ray has his shot blocked by Gelabale - another bench player - for the Celtics' first turnover of the night; Delonte collects the loose ball, taking it coast to coast and going in for another layup attempt. However, KG comes onto the scene and rejects that shot!
Now Rondo has control of the loose ball, as he heads back the other way and finds Allen open behind the three-point line; he pulls up and drains the shot (which gets a couple cheers from the crowd) to put the C's back ahead (40-37 4:27).
At the other end, Gelabale tries to score on the layup, but KG comes up with another block (!) and the ball ends up going off Mickael's knee and out of bounds! Boston regains possession, as Garnett winds up being double-teamed in the paint, so he passes inside to Perkins for the layup while being fouled by Green (42-37 3:53) ... however, he misses the free throw (nuts).
Kurt Thomas returns to the game, while Wally knocks down another jumper to bring the Sonics within three. Ray then misses the shot, and Thomas hauls down the carom; he gives the ball to Delonte, who again pushes it up the floor, and draws the foul on Rondo. Boston is over the limit, so West gets two free throws to get Seattle within one (42-41 3:01).
After a Celtics timeout, Pierce is fouled and makes two free throws of his own ... At the other end, Durant misses the shot over Ray, and Perkins grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, who then passes to Pierce; he tries to back down Wally and winds up missing the shot, however Perkins is able to pick off the offensive board. He tries to go back up and lay it in, but Wilcox blocks him from behind as the shot clock expires!
That gives the Sonics another opportunity to inch closer, however Rondo puts a halt to that as he strips Delonte of the ball (nice); he passes up ahead to KG, who goes in for the layup but West - hustling to try and catch him - ends up fouling him from behind. Garnett hits the floor hard (replays also show that Delonte got him in the back of the head with his forearm), though he's able to get back up and makes one-of-two free throws (45-41 2:01).
Durant then misses another shot (he's now 3-of-10 for six points) and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, and he finds KG for the turnaround jumper over Thomas (47-41 1:37) ... watch out, you've made him mad now!
Wally hits a three-pointer with 42.5 seconds left (he's been an offensive force in the second quarter with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting), then Garnett misses the shot and Delonte takes down the rebound. He motors up the floor for the 2-on-2 fast break, where he gets the ball to Durant, who eludes Rajon and finishes with the strong one-handed slam (47-46 :23.3)! West hasn't been too shabby himself, as that gives him six assists in the quarter (to go with eight points).
The crowd comes alive after that one, as Glenn Rivers M.D. calls for time ... When play resumes, House misses a three-point attempt; Garnett grabs the offensive board, but can't score as the buzzer sounds, leaving the Celtics' lead at just one (47-46) at halftime.
The Celts are shooting just 36 percent from the field (16-45 FG), and aren't getting full production from the "Not Big Three" ... Garnett is certainly pulling his weight (14 PTS, 6-12 FG, 7 REB), but not so much from Pierce (11 PTS, 2-11 FG) and Allen (7 PTS, 3-9 FG).
THIRD QUARTER
At the start of the quarter, KG backrims the jumper (Boston has now missed 10 of their last 11 shots!), and Wilkins grabs the rebound. He passes up ahead to Durant, who finds Wilcox at the top of the key; Garnett is covering him, but he just explodes right past him and finishes with the one-hand slam (47-48 10:45)! Whoa, how did that happen?
KG then shoots up an airball (!) and Wilcox controls the rebound, as the Sonics have a chance to build on their newfound lead ... However, Wilcox can't capitalize, as he misses the layup attempt and then tips the loose rebound out of bounds. Boston regains possession, and Pierce is left open for the three-pointer (50-48 9:47).
Durant answers with a trey of his own (yikes), then Rondo misses the pullup jumpshot over Wilkins and Thomas controls the rebound. He passes to Watson, who quickly takes it up the floor, then gives the ball back to Kurt standing at the free-throw line. He pulls up for the shot, but it clanks off the rim and Allen grabs the 'bound.
Now the C's have a chance to build some momentum, as Garnett drives down the lane and collides with Thomas while scoring the layup ... The refs eventually call Kurt for the foul (whew, that could've gone either way), so KG makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (53-51 8:43).
However, two foul shots by Durant tie the score at 53 apiece. Garnett then tries to pass the ball inside to Perkins, but Watson slaps it out of his hands; Thomas picks it up, and makes the outlet pass to Durant. Rather than making a move to the basket, though, he pulls up and misses a three-point shot ... KG secures the rebound and gives the ball to Rondo, who takes it back the other way and finds Ray open in the corner; he pulls up and buries the trey (56-53 7:31)!
Announcer Kevin Harlan wonders if that shot might be a "momentum changer" ... Sure enough, Wilkins misses and Garnett gets himself another rebound. He finds Allen up the floor, who tries to drive to the basket but has his shot blocked by Thomas out of bounds. That means it's still Celtics' ball with 12 seconds left on the shot clock, so Pierce inbounds to Perkins, and he swings the ball out to Rondo. He gives it back to Paul, who has Durant on him; Garnett sets a pick to get the rookie off Paul's back, and he responds by draining a three-pointer of his own (59-53 6:52).
Seattle needs a timeout, and when play resumes coach PJ Carlesimo-Says sticks with his starters (Delonte and Wally remain on the bench) ... Not sure if that's a wise move, but Durant is able to bury the outside shot (59-55 6:24) as the Sonics are now 3-for-11 shooting in the quarter.
At the other end, Pierce misses the shot, but KG grabs the offensive board and is fouled by Thomas trying to score on the putback. He steps to the line, and makes one-of-two free throws (60-55 6:03).
It's a six-point lead with 3:30 remaining, when Watson misses the jumpshot and Posey (just into the game for Perk) takes down the rebound; he makes the fullcourt pass to Rondo, who passes inside to Garnett where he's covered by Thomas. He tries to back down Kurt, but coughs up the ball (Collins: "Garnett's a little fatigued right now") and Durant picks it up for the turnover.
He dribbles the length of the floor before exploding past Pierce and going in for the layup ... Not only that, but Posey reaches in and commits the foul, so Kevin steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (65-62 2:58).
West and Szczerbiak come into the game at this point (while Garnett takes a seat in favor of Pollard), while Scotty is called for the offensive foul setting a screen on Collinson. Seattle regains possession, and Delonte sends an alleyoop pass inside to Wilcox, where he's fouled by Pollard; he makes one-of-two from the line to get the Sonics within a bucket (65-63 2:37).
Pierce fixes that with the three-pointer (he now has 11 points in the quarter), then Durant steps out of bounds for the costly Seattle turnover ... Celts regain possession, and Paul takes it right at Durant as Kevin hits the deck (rookie don't get foul calls against multiple-time All Stars) and Pierce finishes with the layup (70-63 1:46)!
Durant answers with the basket off a nice pass from Delonte, while at the other end Pierce misses the 18-footer and Wally grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to West, who takes it up the floor before passing back to Szczerbiak; he's fouled by Rajon, and makes both free throws (70-67 :51.6).
Neither team scores again in the quarter, as the score remains 70 to 67 (Celtics) heading into the final stanza ... Boston still isn't shooting that great (24-66 FG), while Seattle is right behind them (24-59 FG).
FOURTH QUARTER
House and Collinson trade hoops to open the fourth, then Eddie gives an upfake to elude Delonte and drains the deep jumper (foot on the line, damn!) while being fouled by Wally. So, he steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (75-69 10:43).
At the other end, Green is fouled by Pollard underneath the basket, so he earns a spot on the charity stripe, but airballs his first free throw (yikes, that was about six inches to the right of the rim)! That was pretty bad, however he does make the second (75-70 10:35).
Pierce then buries another jumper (26 PTS), but Delonte quickly answers with a basket of his own (77-72 10:05).
Not to be outdone, Paul knocks down another 15-footer (the Celts are 4-for-4 to start the quarter), then Collinson misses the shot and House grabs the rebound. He brings it back the other way, and finds Pierce under the basket; he has his shot blocked by Green, but recovers the ball and makes the crosscourt pass to Tony.
He then drives to the basket, but Green comes up with another rejection (!) as the ball goes out of bounds; it's still Celtics' ball, as House inbounds to Allen with five seconds left on the shot clock. He gives it back to Eddie, and he pulls up over Delonte and knocks down the shot (81-72 9:02)!
Now the C's are starting to pull away, as Pierce hits another jumper with Durant right in his face (that's thirty for Paul!) to give Boston the double-digit lead with 8:25 remaining. West scores, then Pollards sets the screen on Delonte to free up House, and he takes the opportunity to score another long distance shot (85-74 7:46) ... Eddie is now officially on fire, with 11 points in 10 minutes!
Posey adds a three-pointer to get the Celtics' lead up to 14 at the halfway mark of the quarter (that doubles the bench's scoring output from the first half, 14 to 7) ... However, the Sonics counter with an 8-3 run (capped by Delonte's layup) to get back within single digits (94-85 3:22).
The crowd responds by making some noise, in a last-ditch effort to will their team to victory. However, Garnett answers with the jumper over Thomas (the Celts have made 10 of their 16 shots in this quarter) with three minutes remaining ... A free throw by Durant (off the defensive three-second violation against Boston) puts the lead down to ten with 2:48 to go, as Seattle retains possession and Watson knocks down the 15-footer right before the shot clock expires (96-88 2:32).
At the other end, KG tries to work the baseline against Wilcox and draws the foul (Chris gives him a little extra shove after the play is already dead), but Kevin pays him no mind and calmly steps to the line for two free throws (98-88 2:11).
Durant then misses, and Garnett secures the rebound. He passes upcourt to House, who gets the ball inside to Posey, where he's fouled by Thomas (his sixth). So, Kurt has to take a seat, while James makes two free throws of his own to get Boston at the century mark (100-88 1:54).
I think we can just about put this game in the books ... Celts win, 104 to 96.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Seattle 96
GAME RATING:
16
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
POST-GAME NOTES:
December 27, 2007
10:30 PM EST (TNT)
Key Arena (Seattle, WA)
Announcers: Kevin Harlan-Quinn and Doug Collins All Cars ; Evil Ernie Johnson, Omygod You Killed Kenny Smith and Barkley Worse Than His Bite (in-studio) ; David Aldridge Too Far (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Sonics Starting Lineup: Damien "Thorn" Wilkins, Earl drwatson.exe, Chris "Suck My" Wilcox, Kurt "The Ones We Love" Thomas, Kevin Duranting and Raving
If I would have told you last season that tonight's matchup against the Sonics would be a historically relevant game, you probably wouldn't have believed me ... However, look at the facts:
- This might be the last time the Celtics play a game in Seattle (since the team's current owners seem hellbent on moving the franchise to Oklahoma City)
- This will be the C's first opportunity to see Kevin Durant (one of the players that they were supposed to wind up with had the ping pong balls bounced in their favor) live and in person
- Last but not least, this will be Ray Allen's return to the place he called home for four and a half years of his career, where I'm sure he will receive a hero's welcome.
FIRST QUARTER
The first part of tonight's TNT double-header ran a bit long (Cleveland defeated Dallas 88-81), so we join the first quarter already in progress ... Luckily, it's at the 10:25 mark, and no one has scored yet.
However, that quickly changes, as Allen makes a behind-the-back pass to KG, who pulls up and knocks down the 18-foot jumper over Durant (2-0 9:58).
Watson answers with the basket, then Ray tries to work the baseline around Wilkins, but has his shot blocked by Wilcox. Perk is able to recover the loose ball, though, and finishes with the two-hand slam (4-2 8:57).
Wilkins then misses, and Perk grabs the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who makes his way up the floor, and gives the ball to Garnett. Not missing a step, KG gives it right back to Rajon as he's slicing down the lane for the layup attempt; that misses, but he gets his own rebound and kicks it out to Pierce, who wants to take the three-point shot but is covered by Durant. Instead, he drives to the basket and (with the rookie still on him) kicks it out to a wide-open Garnett for the jumper (6-2 8:25).
At the other end, Durant misses the three-point attempt, and KG pulls down the rebound. He again passes to Rondo, who takes it back the other way, then finds the trailer Garnett and he pulls up for another 18-footer that finds the bottom of the net (8-2 7:47).
It's a five-point Celtics lead, when Watson misses the three-point shot with 5:35 on the clock (Seattle's just 3-for-10 from the floor); Rajon gets the rebound and makes an outlet pass to Pierce, who tries to score over Durant but comes up short on the layup attempt (ouch) ... Boston's now just shooting 29 percent (4-14 FG), with Paul missing his first four shots, as the Sonics regain possession and Durant winds up being covered the Garnett. Without fear, the younger Kevin pulls up over the older Kevin and nails the jumpshot (11-8 4:51).
Both teams are off to a slow start, although KG does hit the turnaround "jay" over Thomas to get the lead back up to five (that gives him nine points on 4-for-6 shooting). Wilkins then scores, but Allen quickly answers with the layup off a nice pass from Garnett (15-10 4:02). Durant and Pierce trade baskets, then Thomas makes a nice pass inside to Watson for the easy score (17-14 2:44).
Pierce knocks down the three-pointer (5 PTS, 2-6 FG), then Watson tries to pass inside to Durant, but Ray slaps the ball out of bounds with 2:08 remaining in the quarter. KG takes a seat at this point (Scotty 2 Hotty comes in to replace him), while old friend Wally Szczerberus makes his first appearance of the night ... However, on Wally's first possession he mishandles the pass from Watson and fumbles the ball right into the first row (d'oh!).
Boston regains possession, and Pierce fakes another three-point attempt to get Durant up in the air ... The rookie bites on it, so Paul drives to the basket while the rest of Durant's teammates try to make up for his error and collapse around The Truth. Undeterred, Pierce gets the ball to Perkins, who scores over Nick Collinson-Farrell with the hook shot (22-14 1:46).
Wally then misses the outside shot, but Collinson grabs the offensive board and finishes with the two-hand slam (22-16 1:31). Not to be outdone, Allen drives past Wally and goes right down the lane for the layup (24-16 1:13); he's been quiet thus far in his return (4 PTS, 2-5 FG).
Ex-Celtics draft pick jeffgreen.co.uk comes into the game during the final minute, while Szczerbiak steps out of bounds trying to get a three-point shot off (not a good start to the night for ol' Wally). That's Seattle's fifth turnover, as the Celts regain possession ... However, Pierce can't score on the finger roll, and Perkins tips the loose rebound out of bounds.
The Sonics gets another shot with 42 seconds left in the quarter (while good buddy Del Monte West comes into the game for Watson) ... He makes the nice pass to Collison, and he misses the outside jumpshot, but Durant takes the offensive rebound. He tries to go back up for the quick shot, but Perk is right there to block that stuff out of bounds!
That leaves 23.5 seconds left in the quarter (with 22 ticks on the shot clock), so the Sonics can go for (close to) the final shot ... Parker Posey comes in to replace Kendrick, while Delonte dribbles down the clock with Rajon covering him; he's almost able to come up with the steal, but West recovers and throws up a deep three-point attempt as the buzzer sounds. Miraculously, it goes in (24-19 :02.1)!
Posey can't get a shot off in the final seconds, as Delonte's final heave gets his new team within five points (24-19) of his old team ...
SECOND QUARTER
The Celts start the quarter with Hugh Laurie, Posey, Pollard, Pierce, and Allan Tony ... Meanwhile, Wally misses another shot and House grabs the rebound. He dribbles up the floor, then takes the pick from Pollard (taking Delonte out of the picture) and pulls up for the deep jumper (26-19 11:32).
Green scores, then Tony drives to the basket and draws the foul on Mickael "Ring My" Gelabale, which puts him at the line for two free throws (28-21 11:00).
Green then tries to score again, but frontrims the shot and Allen comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Pierce, and he's hit from behind by Collinson. That earns him a trip to the charity stripe, and two more foul shots gives Boston the nine-point edge (30-21 10:31).
Wally's finally able to make a shot (Seattle is 11-for-25 from the field), while at the other end Pierce misses the pullup jumpshot over Green (Boston is now 11-for-24) and Delonte collects the rebound. He heads back the other way, and finds Wally for the deep jumper (his foot was on the line) to get his team back within five (30-25 9:46).
Two more free throws by Pierce get that up to seven, then West draws the foul on House and makes two of his own (32-27 8:57); those are the Sonics' first free-throw attempts, which pales in comparison to the Celtics' totals (9-12 FT). Somewhere, Tommy is smiling ...
During those free throws, Paul takes a seat (as Ray comes back into the game) ... Meanwhile, the former Sonic misses a three-point attempt, and Wally grabs the rebound. He makes the outlet pass to Delonte, who takes it strong to the hoop and draws another foul on House.
Now Garnett's back out on the floor (Pollard takes a seat), as West steps to the line and makes both free throws (32-29 8:02) ... Now the home team's starting to heat up, as Wally knocks down the three-pointer to tie the score at 32 apiece with 7:30 remaining in the half. Posey answers with a trey of his own (that's Boston's first field goal in the last 4:20!), then Tony fouls Green from behind, sending him to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (35-33 6:32).
Garnett and Johan Petro Where the Pets Go! trade baskets, then Rondo (back into the game for House) finds Posey in the corner ... He airballs the three-point attempt (!) and Gelabale grabs the rebound. He passes up the floor to Delonte, and he spins around Posey before taking it right at Allen for the layup (37-all 5:26)!
West and Szczerbiak have now combined for 16 of Seattle's 23 bench points (Boston's bench thus far has only contributed seven points) ... Meanwhile, Ray has his shot blocked by Gelabale - another bench player - for the Celtics' first turnover of the night; Delonte collects the loose ball, taking it coast to coast and going in for another layup attempt. However, KG comes onto the scene and rejects that shot!
Now Rondo has control of the loose ball, as he heads back the other way and finds Allen open behind the three-point line; he pulls up and drains the shot (which gets a couple cheers from the crowd) to put the C's back ahead (40-37 4:27).
At the other end, Gelabale tries to score on the layup, but KG comes up with another block (!) and the ball ends up going off Mickael's knee and out of bounds! Boston regains possession, as Garnett winds up being double-teamed in the paint, so he passes inside to Perkins for the layup while being fouled by Green (42-37 3:53) ... however, he misses the free throw (nuts).
Kurt Thomas returns to the game, while Wally knocks down another jumper to bring the Sonics within three. Ray then misses the shot, and Thomas hauls down the carom; he gives the ball to Delonte, who again pushes it up the floor, and draws the foul on Rondo. Boston is over the limit, so West gets two free throws to get Seattle within one (42-41 3:01).
After a Celtics timeout, Pierce is fouled and makes two free throws of his own ... At the other end, Durant misses the shot over Ray, and Perkins grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, who then passes to Pierce; he tries to back down Wally and winds up missing the shot, however Perkins is able to pick off the offensive board. He tries to go back up and lay it in, but Wilcox blocks him from behind as the shot clock expires!
That gives the Sonics another opportunity to inch closer, however Rondo puts a halt to that as he strips Delonte of the ball (nice); he passes up ahead to KG, who goes in for the layup but West - hustling to try and catch him - ends up fouling him from behind. Garnett hits the floor hard (replays also show that Delonte got him in the back of the head with his forearm), though he's able to get back up and makes one-of-two free throws (45-41 2:01).
Durant then misses another shot (he's now 3-of-10 for six points) and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, and he finds KG for the turnaround jumper over Thomas (47-41 1:37) ... watch out, you've made him mad now!
Wally hits a three-pointer with 42.5 seconds left (he's been an offensive force in the second quarter with 12 points on 5-for-8 shooting), then Garnett misses the shot and Delonte takes down the rebound. He motors up the floor for the 2-on-2 fast break, where he gets the ball to Durant, who eludes Rajon and finishes with the strong one-handed slam (47-46 :23.3)! West hasn't been too shabby himself, as that gives him six assists in the quarter (to go with eight points).
The crowd comes alive after that one, as Glenn Rivers M.D. calls for time ... When play resumes, House misses a three-point attempt; Garnett grabs the offensive board, but can't score as the buzzer sounds, leaving the Celtics' lead at just one (47-46) at halftime.
The Celts are shooting just 36 percent from the field (16-45 FG), and aren't getting full production from the "Not Big Three" ... Garnett is certainly pulling his weight (14 PTS, 6-12 FG, 7 REB), but not so much from Pierce (11 PTS, 2-11 FG) and Allen (7 PTS, 3-9 FG).
THIRD QUARTER
At the start of the quarter, KG backrims the jumper (Boston has now missed 10 of their last 11 shots!), and Wilkins grabs the rebound. He passes up ahead to Durant, who finds Wilcox at the top of the key; Garnett is covering him, but he just explodes right past him and finishes with the one-hand slam (47-48 10:45)! Whoa, how did that happen?
KG then shoots up an airball (!) and Wilcox controls the rebound, as the Sonics have a chance to build on their newfound lead ... However, Wilcox can't capitalize, as he misses the layup attempt and then tips the loose rebound out of bounds. Boston regains possession, and Pierce is left open for the three-pointer (50-48 9:47).
Durant answers with a trey of his own (yikes), then Rondo misses the pullup jumpshot over Wilkins and Thomas controls the rebound. He passes to Watson, who quickly takes it up the floor, then gives the ball back to Kurt standing at the free-throw line. He pulls up for the shot, but it clanks off the rim and Allen grabs the 'bound.
Now the C's have a chance to build some momentum, as Garnett drives down the lane and collides with Thomas while scoring the layup ... The refs eventually call Kurt for the foul (whew, that could've gone either way), so KG makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (53-51 8:43).
However, two foul shots by Durant tie the score at 53 apiece. Garnett then tries to pass the ball inside to Perkins, but Watson slaps it out of his hands; Thomas picks it up, and makes the outlet pass to Durant. Rather than making a move to the basket, though, he pulls up and misses a three-point shot ... KG secures the rebound and gives the ball to Rondo, who takes it back the other way and finds Ray open in the corner; he pulls up and buries the trey (56-53 7:31)!
Announcer Kevin Harlan wonders if that shot might be a "momentum changer" ... Sure enough, Wilkins misses and Garnett gets himself another rebound. He finds Allen up the floor, who tries to drive to the basket but has his shot blocked by Thomas out of bounds. That means it's still Celtics' ball with 12 seconds left on the shot clock, so Pierce inbounds to Perkins, and he swings the ball out to Rondo. He gives it back to Paul, who has Durant on him; Garnett sets a pick to get the rookie off Paul's back, and he responds by draining a three-pointer of his own (59-53 6:52).
Seattle needs a timeout, and when play resumes coach PJ Carlesimo-Says sticks with his starters (Delonte and Wally remain on the bench) ... Not sure if that's a wise move, but Durant is able to bury the outside shot (59-55 6:24) as the Sonics are now 3-for-11 shooting in the quarter.
At the other end, Pierce misses the shot, but KG grabs the offensive board and is fouled by Thomas trying to score on the putback. He steps to the line, and makes one-of-two free throws (60-55 6:03).
It's a six-point lead with 3:30 remaining, when Watson misses the jumpshot and Posey (just into the game for Perk) takes down the rebound; he makes the fullcourt pass to Rondo, who passes inside to Garnett where he's covered by Thomas. He tries to back down Kurt, but coughs up the ball (Collins: "Garnett's a little fatigued right now") and Durant picks it up for the turnover.
He dribbles the length of the floor before exploding past Pierce and going in for the layup ... Not only that, but Posey reaches in and commits the foul, so Kevin steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (65-62 2:58).
West and Szczerbiak come into the game at this point (while Garnett takes a seat in favor of Pollard), while Scotty is called for the offensive foul setting a screen on Collinson. Seattle regains possession, and Delonte sends an alleyoop pass inside to Wilcox, where he's fouled by Pollard; he makes one-of-two from the line to get the Sonics within a bucket (65-63 2:37).
Pierce fixes that with the three-pointer (he now has 11 points in the quarter), then Durant steps out of bounds for the costly Seattle turnover ... Celts regain possession, and Paul takes it right at Durant as Kevin hits the deck (rookie don't get foul calls against multiple-time All Stars) and Pierce finishes with the layup (70-63 1:46)!
Durant answers with the basket off a nice pass from Delonte, while at the other end Pierce misses the 18-footer and Wally grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to West, who takes it up the floor before passing back to Szczerbiak; he's fouled by Rajon, and makes both free throws (70-67 :51.6).
Neither team scores again in the quarter, as the score remains 70 to 67 (Celtics) heading into the final stanza ... Boston still isn't shooting that great (24-66 FG), while Seattle is right behind them (24-59 FG).
FOURTH QUARTER
House and Collinson trade hoops to open the fourth, then Eddie gives an upfake to elude Delonte and drains the deep jumper (foot on the line, damn!) while being fouled by Wally. So, he steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (75-69 10:43).
At the other end, Green is fouled by Pollard underneath the basket, so he earns a spot on the charity stripe, but airballs his first free throw (yikes, that was about six inches to the right of the rim)! That was pretty bad, however he does make the second (75-70 10:35).
Pierce then buries another jumper (26 PTS), but Delonte quickly answers with a basket of his own (77-72 10:05).
Not to be outdone, Paul knocks down another 15-footer (the Celts are 4-for-4 to start the quarter), then Collinson misses the shot and House grabs the rebound. He brings it back the other way, and finds Pierce under the basket; he has his shot blocked by Green, but recovers the ball and makes the crosscourt pass to Tony.
He then drives to the basket, but Green comes up with another rejection (!) as the ball goes out of bounds; it's still Celtics' ball, as House inbounds to Allen with five seconds left on the shot clock. He gives it back to Eddie, and he pulls up over Delonte and knocks down the shot (81-72 9:02)!
Now the C's are starting to pull away, as Pierce hits another jumper with Durant right in his face (that's thirty for Paul!) to give Boston the double-digit lead with 8:25 remaining. West scores, then Pollards sets the screen on Delonte to free up House, and he takes the opportunity to score another long distance shot (85-74 7:46) ... Eddie is now officially on fire, with 11 points in 10 minutes!
Posey adds a three-pointer to get the Celtics' lead up to 14 at the halfway mark of the quarter (that doubles the bench's scoring output from the first half, 14 to 7) ... However, the Sonics counter with an 8-3 run (capped by Delonte's layup) to get back within single digits (94-85 3:22).
The crowd responds by making some noise, in a last-ditch effort to will their team to victory. However, Garnett answers with the jumper over Thomas (the Celts have made 10 of their 16 shots in this quarter) with three minutes remaining ... A free throw by Durant (off the defensive three-second violation against Boston) puts the lead down to ten with 2:48 to go, as Seattle retains possession and Watson knocks down the 15-footer right before the shot clock expires (96-88 2:32).
At the other end, KG tries to work the baseline against Wilcox and draws the foul (Chris gives him a little extra shove after the play is already dead), but Kevin pays him no mind and calmly steps to the line for two free throws (98-88 2:11).
Durant then misses, and Garnett secures the rebound. He passes upcourt to House, who gets the ball inside to Posey, where he's fouled by Thomas (his sixth). So, Kurt has to take a seat, while James makes two free throws of his own to get Boston at the century mark (100-88 1:54).
I think we can just about put this game in the books ... Celts win, 104 to 96.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Seattle 96
GAME RATING:
16
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 43 MIN, 37 PTS (11-27 FG, 5-7 3PTers, 10-11 FT), 6 REB, 4 AST
- Garnett: 34 MIN, 23 PTS (8-22 FG), 14 REB (6 OFF), 2 STL, 2 BLK
- House: 18 MIN, 13 PTS (5-8 FG), 4 REB
- Durant: 37 MIN, 25 PTS (10-23 FG), 5 REB
- West: 25 MIN, 19 PTS (6-8 FG), 8 AST
- Szczerbiak: 24 MIN, 14 PTS (5-11 FG), 3 REB
POST-GAME NOTES:
- The Sonics shot 46 percent from the floor (37-81 FG), while the Celts were barely at 40 percent (34-86 FG); however, they made up for it at the three-point line, as they knocked down 9 of 19 from beyond the arc.
- Boston also had just four turnovers total in the game (Seattle had 11).
- With this victory, the Celtics have already matched their win total (24) for ALL of last season!
- Even though we didn't get to see it, prior to the game the Sonics held a nice ceremony where Allen was presented with a plaque to honor his years of community service as a member of the club ... Classy move.
- However, Ray's performance against his former team was nothing to write home about (38 MIN, 10 PTS, 4-13 FG).
- Comcast SportsNet was supposed to air a postgame show, but it (apparently) never made it to air, so there was no Tommy Award winner.
- Speaking of postgame shows, over on TNT Charles Barkley made the following statement after the Boston win: "If [the Celtics] win 72 games, I'll walk from [Atlanta] to Phoenix ... in a speedo!" His colleagues were actually able to talk him down to 67 wins, and if he loses that bet then Charles will walk from the "Inside the NBA" studios to his hotel room wearing speedos while holding a martini. Yikes.
Friday, December 28, 2007
Celts defeat Seattle, start West Coast road trip at 2-0
Image from sports.yahoo.comThe picture says it all, Sonics fans ... He's property of the Boston Celtics now, so suck it up and get used to it ;)
Thursday, December 27, 2007
Recap: Game 26 (at Sacramento)
BOSTON CELTICS AT SACRAMENTO KINGS
December 26, 2007
10:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Arco Arena (Sacramento, CA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Gary PoonTanguay and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Kings Starting Lineup: John "Smoked" Salmons, Beef-A-Beno Udrih, "Rad" Brad Miller, Mikki "And Minnie" Moore, Ron Artesting Testing One-Two-Three
Is it time for the Celts to be "tested"? Well, when you play four games in five nights out West, that should be a pretty fair indicator about what type of team this Celtics club truly is ...
First up, a matchup with Ron Artest and the Sacramento Kings ... The Celts haven't won a game in Sacramento for quite awhile (February 16th, 1996 to be exact), so that should provide some motivation for our mates to try and put that losing streak to an end.
FIRST QUARTER
KG steals a pass by Moore in the opening play (which gets this road trip off to a good start); he gets the ball upcourt to Allen, who finds Pierce spotting up in the corner. With the defense paying attention to him, he passes back to Garnett, and - finding himself with an open path to the basket - he takes advantage and finishes with the two-handed dunk (2-0 11:25) ... That actually gets a few cheers out of the Sacramento crowd (not a good sign for the Kings' supposed homefield advantage).
At the other end, Perkins blocks a shot by Miller (nice) and Kevin collects the loose ball; he gets teh ball upcourt to Ray, who misses the outside shot, but KG grabs the offensive board ... Unfortunately, he tries to kick it back out to Pierce, where Brad steps in to pick off the pass.
That gives the Kings back possession, but Miller misses again and Perk collects the rebound. He passes to Rajon, who makes his way back the other end; he gets the ball to Allen, and (with two defenders stepping up to stop him) he passes back to Rondo for the open 15-footer (4-0 10:25).
A dunk by Ray (wow) with eight minutes remaining gives Boston the early six-point edge, then Pierce strips Moore of the ball and Mikki ends up falling right on top of Paul trying to take it back ... The refs call him for the foul, so Boston regains possession (Kenny Thomas Roasters has to make an early appearance to replace Moore) and Allen scores on the pullup jumper (10-2 7:49); the Celts are off to the fast start (they're 5-for-8 from the field).
Artest then misses the outside shot (Sacramento, meanwhile, is 1-for-5 shooting), but Garnett can't control the rebound and Udrih winds up with the ball; he takes it back up and scores with the layup (10-4 7:24).
It's still a six-point lead with 4:30 remaining in the quarter, when Perkins takes a seat on the bench (Parker Posey is the first sub off the bench) ... Meanwhile, Artest misses another shot (the Kings are 3-for-13 from the floor) and Miller fouls Garnett going for the rebound. Boston regains possesion, as Pierce passes inside to Garnett; he's covered by Francisco "Cherry" Garcia, and Francisco ties him up as the refs call him for the foul.
Now, the whistle has already blown, but Garcia decides to take a swipe at the ball and try to knock it out of KG's hands ... Not sure what he was trying to prove there, but everyone keeps their cool and nothing comes of it (Kevin just has a bemused look on his face about the whole thing).
Anyway, the bottom line is that it's a non-shooting foul, so the Celts retain possession ... Rajon inbounds to Pierce, and he pulls up for the short 15-foot jumpshot. That misses, but Rondo grabs the offensive board; he kicks the ball back out to Garnett, and he gives it right back to Rajon. He takes the outside shot, however it bounces off the rim and Garcia comes down with it; he quickly takes it up the floor, then finds Artest who finally scores a basket (12-8 2:51).
Man, after that nice start, the Celts have now gone 2:29 without scoring a field goal ... Glenn Rivers M.D. needs a timeout, and when play resumes Scotty 2 Hotty is on the floor in place of KG (not sure that's gonna solve Boston's offensive woes). Meanwhile, Pierce misses another shot, and Salmons comes away with the rebound. He sends it up the floor to Artest, who blows past Posey and scores on the layup (12-10 2:21); ouch.
It's still a two-point lead with 1:53 on the clock, when Hugh Laurie comes in to replace Rondo ... He gets right to work, as Eddie makes the nice lob pass inside to Posey slicing down the lane, where he finishes with the dunk (15-11 1:40). Now, for the record, the Celts' last field goal with a baseline jumper by Garnett at the 5:20 mark; you do the math :(
At the other end, Pierce plays some tight defense on Artest, and forces him to take a deep jumper to beat the shot clock. That misses, and Pollard comes away with the rebound; he makes the outlet pass to House, who finds Pierce at the top of the key, and he swings the ball around to Ray where he buries the trey (18-11 :56.0)!
On the next play, Paul fouls Artest with 46.5 seconds left in the half; Doc subs Allan Tony in to replace Pierce, while Ronnie makes just one-of-two free throws to get his team within six.
However, Quincy Rollin' Douby then strips Ray of the ball, as we head back the other way ... He passes to Artest, who's fouled by Tony taking the ball to the basket. That means he gets to head back to the line, and this time he's able to make both free throws (18-14 :26.8).
Tony then slowly brings the ball up the floor, but Coman-Dahntay Jones strips him of the ball at halfcourt ... He quickly takes it right to the basket and misses the shot, but Garcia is there to try and tip it in and Posey is called for goaltending (18-16 :17.6).
Douby almost comes up with another steal on Tony in the closing moments, but the other Allen is able to recover and misses a shot at the buzzer, leaving the C's with just a two-point lead (18-16) heading into the second quarter ... Neither team shot the ball particularly well, as the Celts were down around 42 percent (8-19 FG), while the Kings were even worse (6-18 FG).
SECOND QUARTER
Douby opens the quarter with one more steal on Tony, and takes it all the way in for the layup (18-all 11:43); yikes.
Allen tries to redeem himself, but misses the layup attempt (!); luckily, Pollard grabs the offensive board, and kicks it out to House. He makes the bounce pass back to Scotty, but he misses the shot and Douby collects the rebound. He takes it back the other way, and finds Spencer Hawes-enpfeffer, who hits the awkward hook shot over Pollard (18-20 10:26).
Now the crowd is coming alive, as on the very next play Tony (showing a bit of frustration) throws Jones to the floor while trying to set up position in the paint; the refs catch it and call the offensive foul, as Sacramento regains possession and Salmons is able to knock down the jumper (18-22 10:01).
Pollard and Salmons trade baskets, then House misses the outside shot, but Scotty gets himself another offensive rebound. He kicks it out to Ray behind the three-point line, and he gives the pumpfake to get Garcia off-balance; with his defender sufficiently neutralized, Allen drives right down to the lane and is fouled by Hawes! He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play and gets the C's within one (23-24 9:01).
The Scals of Justice comes in at this point for Posey, while Garcia throws up a brick and Pollard hauls down the carom. He passes to Ray, who takes the ball upcourt himself, then finds House wide open in the corner for the trey (26-24 8:33)!
Eddie adds another three-pointer to make it a five-point Boston advantage, then Jones tries to take it strong to the basket but winds up getting fouled by Pollard; the Celts are over the limit, as Dahntay makes one-of-two from the line (29-25 7:39).
Garnett and Pierce come back on the floor (Tony and Scotty take a seat), then Pierce drives to the basket and misses the shot (he's missed his first three field-goal attempts) as Garcia collects the rebound. At the other end, he tries to pull up over Paul for the three-point attempt, but his shot clanks off the side of the rim and House comes away with the loose board. He takes the ball up the floor, and passes inside to Scals; he's covered by Hawes, but dishes it out to Pierce wide open behind the line and he buries the three-ball (32-25 6:50).
Another basket by Paul (of the two-point variety) makes it a nine-point lead with five minutes left in the half. Udrih can't score, and House gets himself another rebound, then makes the fullcourt pass to Pierce. He pulls up over Artest (with a foot on the line) and drains it (38-27 4:33); it's a reversal of fortune, as Paul has now made three straight shots!
Artest tries to answer by driving down the lane, however Perk (just into the game for Scals) steps in his path to cause the turnover; KG picks up the loose ball, then sends it upcourt to Ray, who makes a nice behind-the-back pass to Kendrick hustling up the floor. He goes up for the layup, but is just leveled by Miller (he gave a little extra elbow to Perk's head after the play was over) ...
That was uncalled for, but Perkins doesn't try to retaliate (bless his heart) and simply walks to the line with 3:55 on the clock. He makes his first free throw, and misses the second, but the rebound bounces right back to him (sweet); he passes the ball out to Ray, and he buries the trey (42-27 3:51)! Now that was simply awesome.
Garnett scores to make it a 17-point lead with 2:22 remaining, then Artest tries to pass inside to Garcia, but it goes over his head and out of bounds (ha HA!). Boston regains possession, as KG misses the outside jumpshot, however Perk takes the offensive board and scores on the layup (48-29 1:21).
This crowd is starting to turn on the home team, as Salmons simply fumbles the ball away and out of bounds. The Celts get a chance to extend their lead further, and that's just what happens as Garnett pulls up and buries the 18-footer (50-29 :51.7) ... That's ten points now for Kevin (5-7 FG)!
Hoo boy, Garcia follows that up by throwing up a brick from behind the three-point line (Sacramento is now 0-for-6 from beyond the arc), and Pierce takes down the rebound. He brings it up the floor himself, as Doc is yelling from the sideline "2 for 1! 2 for 1!" ... He's nothing if not obedient, so Paul dutifully pulls up and buries the three-pointer (53-29 :27.3)! After a slow start, that gives The Truth 14 points (4-7 FG).
Udrih then misses (the Kings have been beyond pathetic thus far) and Rondo comes away with the loose rebound. He quickly takes it upcourt - here's the two in "2 for 1"! - but backrims the shot as the buzzer sounds ... Can't really complain though, as Boston ends the half on a 33-5 run (!) and leads 53 to 29.
The Celts shot 46 percent (12-26 FG) in the second quarter, while limiting the Kings to just 29 percent (5-17 FG) ... I'll take numbers like that, I reckon!
THIRD QUARTER
At the start of the quarter, Miller drives to the basket and collides with KG (Brad also gives Kevin a little inadvertant slap to the top of the head); that leaves Number Five a little groggy, but the refs still call him for the foul, so Miller heads to the line and makes both free throws (53-31 11:29).
Artest then steals the ball from Pierce, and gives it to Udrih who heads back the other way. He passes back to Ronnie, who frontrims the three-point attempt ... but is able to track down his own rebound (dang). He finds Udrih in the corner, who sends a pass inside to Miller for the one-hand slam (53-33 10:44)!
It's obvious that the Kings are playing with a bit of a chip on their collective shoulder, as Salmons blocks Allen's layup attempt; Udrih collects the loose ball, as he heads back the other way, then finds the trailer Salmons for the pullup jumper (53-35 9:39).
KG then misses the shot over Moore (the C's are now 0-for-4 to start the quarter) and Beno collects the rebound. He again pushes it up the floor (Sacramento has found their second wind) and takes it right at Perkins for the layup attempt ... That comes up short, however Moore is in perfect position for the offensive board and finishes with the dunk (53-37 9:07).
Doc has seen enough, as he calls a timeout. When play resumes, Rondo misses the outside shot, and Miller grabs another rebound. He passes upcourt to Artest, who finds Udrih in the paint. He drives down the lane (drawing in the defense) and gets the ball to Mikki for another two-hand slam (53-39 8:31)!
The Celts are finally "saved" by a defensive 3-second violation called on Moore; Ray makes the free throw to give Boston their first point of the half (yikes). The Celtics retain possession, and Allen tries to make a move to the basket, but Salmons plays some nice defense and causes him to cough up the ball (double yikes) ... KG is able to recover, but has his shot blocked from behind by Artest as the shot clock expires!
That makes it Kings' ball, however Salmons misses the outside shot and Ray pulls down the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, as the C's try to set up for their first field goal of the half ... but Perk screws that up as he is called for the offensive foul away from the ball!
Sacramento regains possession, as Udrih tries to score on the layup, but Kendrick comes up with the block (way to redeem yourself, Perk!). Pierce picks up the loose ball, then sends it up the floor to Allen, who drives down the lane with only Moore to beat ... He knocks Mikki to the floor, and the refs reward him with the offensive foul call!
That gives the Kings another crack at cutting into this lead; luckily, Artest misses the jumpshot and KG hauls down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Pierce behind the three-point line; that shot is wide of the mark, but Perk is able to secure the offensive board. Unfortunately, he's surrounded by three players and winds up stepping out of bounds!
Ugh, another Celtics turnover, as Perkins starts to argue that he was forced out of bounds ... The refs won't stand for that, and whistle him for a technical foul! Udrih makes the free throw, as Sacramento cuts the Boston lead down to fourteen (54-40 6:34).
Not only that, but it's Kings' ball, so they have a chance to get even closer ... However, Artest misses another shot, and Garnett takes down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Ray, and he gives the ball to Pierce, who tries to drive on Ronnie but Moore comes over for the double-team; he tries to pass out of it, but sends the ball to no one in particular as the ball rolls harmlessly out of bounds (shit).
This is getting ridiculous (that was Boston's seventh turnover of the quarter), as Sacramento regains possession; Artest makes a strong move to the basket for the layup, plus he draws the foul on Perkins (SHIT). That puts Ronnie at the line, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (54-43 5:33).
KG finally buries a jumper with 5:19 on the clock (Boston is now 1-for-8 from the field in this gawdforsaken quarter), but Moore quickly answers with the easy layup off the nice pass from Artest (56-45 5:02).
Rondo then misses, but Garnett grabs the offensive board (he's got seven rebounds) and kicks it back out to Rajon; he ends up being fouled by Udrih at the 4:22 mark, as Posey comes into the game to replace Perkins ... Meanwhile, the Celts are still trying to get their second field goal of the quarter, but Pierce takes care of that with the bullet pass inside to Ray Allen. He's able to score the layup (there you go) as well as draw the foul on Salmons, and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (59-45 4:15).
At the other end, Salmons scores (Sacramento is now 7-for-14 from the floor in the quarter), then KG tries to work his way into the paint, but fumbles away the ball (d'oh!) and Udrih picks it up. He takes it back the other way, and finds Miller for the 15-footer (59-49 3:34).
House comes into the game for Rondo with 3:18 left in the quarter (Doc is looking to breathe new life into this offense) ... Doesn't work, as Pierce has his pass stolen by Beno, and he gives it up to Artest. He takes it up the floor, then finds Salmons for the layup (59-51 3:00)!
KG scores (whew), then Ray steals the ball from Artest. He passes to Pierce, who finds Posey in the corner for the three-pointer (64-51 2:12); well, that was a much-needed basket.
Garcia tries to answer, but comes up short on the three-point shot (Sacramento is now 0-for-10 from behind the line). Unfortunately, Udrih winds up with the offensive board, and makes a nice pass back to Francisco slicing down the lane for a layup (64-53 1:43).
At the other end, Garnett attempts to make a pass to Pierce, but the ball winds up in the stands for yet another Boston turnover (!) ... Sacramento regains possession (while Pollard and Tony come into the game), as Garcia gives an upfake to get T-Allen in the air. He absorbs the contact to draw the foul (this is eerily reminiscent of the "Billups Incident"), and makes both free throws to get the Kings within single digits (64-55 1:11).
Pierce then misses the shot, and Pollard tries to tip it in; that too misses (!!!), and Douby comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Garcia, who drives to the basket and is fouled from behind by Tony (you're killing me man!). So, we head back to the line, and Francisco makes one-of-two free throws (64-56 :46.4).
Thankfully, two foul shots by Pierce with 34.1 seconds left puts the Celts back up by ten (66-56) ... That doesn't give me much comfort, however, as Boston shot just 25 percent (4-16 FG) with nine turnovers in that quarter! Sacramento, meanwhile, was on fire in the third, shooting better than 50 percent (10-19 FG) with only three turnovers.
FOURTH QUARTER
Garcia hits a three-pointer to open the quarter (he gives the crowd a little swagger after the shot, which Gorman describes as "some nonsense") ... House tries to answer, but misses the three-point attempt, and Miller comes away with the rebound. He sends it up the floor to Garcia, who dribbles around for a bit before giving the ball back to Brad; he misses the outside shot, but Artest secures the offensive rebound and scores on the putback (66-61 11:12)!
House tries another three-point shot, and actually connects on this one (good) ... At the other end, Miller misses another shot, and Posey pulls down the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who takes it back the other way, then swings the ball around to Posey behind the three-point line. He pulls up, and buries a trey of his own (72-61 10:11)!
It's still an 11-point lead, when Garnett comes back into the game at the 9:47 mark (Pollard takes a seat) ... He gets himself involved quickly, as he makes the nice pass inside to Tony who finishes with the layup (74-61 8:58).
At the other end, Artest has his shot blocked by KG (it's like he never left); Ronnie is able to recover the loose ball ... until Posey sneaks in from behind and strips him! Yeah, DEFENSE!
Posey gets the ball upcourt to Tony, who passes to Garnett. He then finds House in the corner behind the three-point line; his shot misses, however KG grabs the offensive board ... and Miller reaches over to give him a shot across the bridge of the nose, which sends Kevin to the floor in obvious pain (oh man).
That's the second time Miller has gotten KG in the face tonight (which makes it harder to believe that it's all inadvertant contact); meanwhile, Garnett is slow to get up off floor, so Boston calls a timeout with 8:30 remaining to give him a chance to recover ... Sure enough, when play resumes Kevin is still in the game (Gorman: "I don't believe this guy's walking back out on the court"), as Posey misses the three-point attempt and Garcia lets the ball bounce out of bounds.
Sacramento regains possession with a chance to trim the lead further ... Salmons misses, but the loose rebound goes off Tony and out of bounds. That gives the Kings another shot, and Garcia finds Salmons in the corner for the three-pointer (74-64 7:39).
At the other end, KG winds up being double-teamed by Garcia and Miller (watch the nose!), but is able to pass out to Tony for another layup (76-64 7:17).
Garcia then tries to lob a pass inside to Miller for the easy bucket, however House slides in to knock the ball out of his hands; Pierce dives to the floor to try and save it (nice hustle play), but it goes out of bounds with three seconds left on the shot clock ... Garcia inbounds to Miller, but Paul is again able to knock it out of his hands, as the buzzer sounds and the Kings are assessed with the turnover!
That makes it Celtics' ball, but Tony can't convert on the layup, and Garcia grabs the rebound ... We head back the other way, as Salmons has his shot partially blocked by KG, but the refs say that Posey fouled Moore trying to keep him away from the ensuing loose ball.
The Kings regain possession (as Rondo comes into the game for House), but quickly cough it up as Garcia is whistled for travelling! That puts Boston back in control with 5:57 left in the game ... Ray misses the three-point attempt, but Rondo grabs the offensive board and dribbles out to reset the offense. Then he thinks, 'Ah the hell with it', and drives right at Garcia for the layup (78-64 5:15)!
Things are looking up, as Salmons is called for his own travelling violation; Udrih follows that up by committing the foul on Rajon as he's making another strong move to the basket, and our young point guard heads to the line for one-of-two free throws (79-64 4:25).
Garcia can't answer with the jumpshot, and Garnett pulls down another rebound. He gives the ball to Rondo, who dribbles up the floor, then passes back to KG and he takes it down the lane himself. Before he can get a shot off, however, Francisco grabs him from behind ... Kevin decides to voice his displeasure with that (I'm guessing he's sick of being everyone's punching bag tonight), but eventually steps to the line with 3:48 remaining, and proceeds to miss both foul shots (dangit).
Udrih scores a basket to get Sacramento within thirteen, while at the other end Pierce sets the pick on Beno to free up Rondo ... so he just explodes down the lane and tries to go up over Moore for the one-handed dunk (!), but Mikki won't allow it and gives the hard foul. That sends Rajon sprawling to the floor, but he's okay, and is able to make both free throws (81-66 3:12).
Rondo's tenacity has been Boston's saving grace over the last few minutes, as they just might have survived Sacramento's second-half onslaught ... Sure enough, they end the game on a 10-3 run, and come out of this one with the 89-69 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 89, Sacramento 69
GAME RATING:
16
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
POST-GAME NOTES:
December 26, 2007
10:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Arco Arena (Sacramento, CA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Gary PoonTanguay and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Kings Starting Lineup: John "Smoked" Salmons, Beef-A-Beno Udrih, "Rad" Brad Miller, Mikki "And Minnie" Moore, Ron Artesting Testing One-Two-Three
Is it time for the Celts to be "tested"? Well, when you play four games in five nights out West, that should be a pretty fair indicator about what type of team this Celtics club truly is ...
First up, a matchup with Ron Artest and the Sacramento Kings ... The Celts haven't won a game in Sacramento for quite awhile (February 16th, 1996 to be exact), so that should provide some motivation for our mates to try and put that losing streak to an end.
FIRST QUARTER
KG steals a pass by Moore in the opening play (which gets this road trip off to a good start); he gets the ball upcourt to Allen, who finds Pierce spotting up in the corner. With the defense paying attention to him, he passes back to Garnett, and - finding himself with an open path to the basket - he takes advantage and finishes with the two-handed dunk (2-0 11:25) ... That actually gets a few cheers out of the Sacramento crowd (not a good sign for the Kings' supposed homefield advantage).
At the other end, Perkins blocks a shot by Miller (nice) and Kevin collects the loose ball; he gets teh ball upcourt to Ray, who misses the outside shot, but KG grabs the offensive board ... Unfortunately, he tries to kick it back out to Pierce, where Brad steps in to pick off the pass.
That gives the Kings back possession, but Miller misses again and Perk collects the rebound. He passes to Rajon, who makes his way back the other end; he gets the ball to Allen, and (with two defenders stepping up to stop him) he passes back to Rondo for the open 15-footer (4-0 10:25).
A dunk by Ray (wow) with eight minutes remaining gives Boston the early six-point edge, then Pierce strips Moore of the ball and Mikki ends up falling right on top of Paul trying to take it back ... The refs call him for the foul, so Boston regains possession (Kenny Thomas Roasters has to make an early appearance to replace Moore) and Allen scores on the pullup jumper (10-2 7:49); the Celts are off to the fast start (they're 5-for-8 from the field).
Artest then misses the outside shot (Sacramento, meanwhile, is 1-for-5 shooting), but Garnett can't control the rebound and Udrih winds up with the ball; he takes it back up and scores with the layup (10-4 7:24).
It's still a six-point lead with 4:30 remaining in the quarter, when Perkins takes a seat on the bench (Parker Posey is the first sub off the bench) ... Meanwhile, Artest misses another shot (the Kings are 3-for-13 from the floor) and Miller fouls Garnett going for the rebound. Boston regains possesion, as Pierce passes inside to Garnett; he's covered by Francisco "Cherry" Garcia, and Francisco ties him up as the refs call him for the foul.
Now, the whistle has already blown, but Garcia decides to take a swipe at the ball and try to knock it out of KG's hands ... Not sure what he was trying to prove there, but everyone keeps their cool and nothing comes of it (Kevin just has a bemused look on his face about the whole thing).
Anyway, the bottom line is that it's a non-shooting foul, so the Celts retain possession ... Rajon inbounds to Pierce, and he pulls up for the short 15-foot jumpshot. That misses, but Rondo grabs the offensive board; he kicks the ball back out to Garnett, and he gives it right back to Rajon. He takes the outside shot, however it bounces off the rim and Garcia comes down with it; he quickly takes it up the floor, then finds Artest who finally scores a basket (12-8 2:51).
Man, after that nice start, the Celts have now gone 2:29 without scoring a field goal ... Glenn Rivers M.D. needs a timeout, and when play resumes Scotty 2 Hotty is on the floor in place of KG (not sure that's gonna solve Boston's offensive woes). Meanwhile, Pierce misses another shot, and Salmons comes away with the rebound. He sends it up the floor to Artest, who blows past Posey and scores on the layup (12-10 2:21); ouch.
It's still a two-point lead with 1:53 on the clock, when Hugh Laurie comes in to replace Rondo ... He gets right to work, as Eddie makes the nice lob pass inside to Posey slicing down the lane, where he finishes with the dunk (15-11 1:40). Now, for the record, the Celts' last field goal with a baseline jumper by Garnett at the 5:20 mark; you do the math :(
At the other end, Pierce plays some tight defense on Artest, and forces him to take a deep jumper to beat the shot clock. That misses, and Pollard comes away with the rebound; he makes the outlet pass to House, who finds Pierce at the top of the key, and he swings the ball around to Ray where he buries the trey (18-11 :56.0)!
On the next play, Paul fouls Artest with 46.5 seconds left in the half; Doc subs Allan Tony in to replace Pierce, while Ronnie makes just one-of-two free throws to get his team within six.
However, Quincy Rollin' Douby then strips Ray of the ball, as we head back the other way ... He passes to Artest, who's fouled by Tony taking the ball to the basket. That means he gets to head back to the line, and this time he's able to make both free throws (18-14 :26.8).
Tony then slowly brings the ball up the floor, but Coman-Dahntay Jones strips him of the ball at halfcourt ... He quickly takes it right to the basket and misses the shot, but Garcia is there to try and tip it in and Posey is called for goaltending (18-16 :17.6).
Douby almost comes up with another steal on Tony in the closing moments, but the other Allen is able to recover and misses a shot at the buzzer, leaving the C's with just a two-point lead (18-16) heading into the second quarter ... Neither team shot the ball particularly well, as the Celts were down around 42 percent (8-19 FG), while the Kings were even worse (6-18 FG).
SECOND QUARTER
Douby opens the quarter with one more steal on Tony, and takes it all the way in for the layup (18-all 11:43); yikes.
Allen tries to redeem himself, but misses the layup attempt (!); luckily, Pollard grabs the offensive board, and kicks it out to House. He makes the bounce pass back to Scotty, but he misses the shot and Douby collects the rebound. He takes it back the other way, and finds Spencer Hawes-enpfeffer, who hits the awkward hook shot over Pollard (18-20 10:26).
Now the crowd is coming alive, as on the very next play Tony (showing a bit of frustration) throws Jones to the floor while trying to set up position in the paint; the refs catch it and call the offensive foul, as Sacramento regains possession and Salmons is able to knock down the jumper (18-22 10:01).
Pollard and Salmons trade baskets, then House misses the outside shot, but Scotty gets himself another offensive rebound. He kicks it out to Ray behind the three-point line, and he gives the pumpfake to get Garcia off-balance; with his defender sufficiently neutralized, Allen drives right down to the lane and is fouled by Hawes! He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play and gets the C's within one (23-24 9:01).
The Scals of Justice comes in at this point for Posey, while Garcia throws up a brick and Pollard hauls down the carom. He passes to Ray, who takes the ball upcourt himself, then finds House wide open in the corner for the trey (26-24 8:33)!
Eddie adds another three-pointer to make it a five-point Boston advantage, then Jones tries to take it strong to the basket but winds up getting fouled by Pollard; the Celts are over the limit, as Dahntay makes one-of-two from the line (29-25 7:39).
Garnett and Pierce come back on the floor (Tony and Scotty take a seat), then Pierce drives to the basket and misses the shot (he's missed his first three field-goal attempts) as Garcia collects the rebound. At the other end, he tries to pull up over Paul for the three-point attempt, but his shot clanks off the side of the rim and House comes away with the loose board. He takes the ball up the floor, and passes inside to Scals; he's covered by Hawes, but dishes it out to Pierce wide open behind the line and he buries the three-ball (32-25 6:50).
Another basket by Paul (of the two-point variety) makes it a nine-point lead with five minutes left in the half. Udrih can't score, and House gets himself another rebound, then makes the fullcourt pass to Pierce. He pulls up over Artest (with a foot on the line) and drains it (38-27 4:33); it's a reversal of fortune, as Paul has now made three straight shots!
Artest tries to answer by driving down the lane, however Perk (just into the game for Scals) steps in his path to cause the turnover; KG picks up the loose ball, then sends it upcourt to Ray, who makes a nice behind-the-back pass to Kendrick hustling up the floor. He goes up for the layup, but is just leveled by Miller (he gave a little extra elbow to Perk's head after the play was over) ...
That was uncalled for, but Perkins doesn't try to retaliate (bless his heart) and simply walks to the line with 3:55 on the clock. He makes his first free throw, and misses the second, but the rebound bounces right back to him (sweet); he passes the ball out to Ray, and he buries the trey (42-27 3:51)! Now that was simply awesome.
Garnett scores to make it a 17-point lead with 2:22 remaining, then Artest tries to pass inside to Garcia, but it goes over his head and out of bounds (ha HA!). Boston regains possession, as KG misses the outside jumpshot, however Perk takes the offensive board and scores on the layup (48-29 1:21).
This crowd is starting to turn on the home team, as Salmons simply fumbles the ball away and out of bounds. The Celts get a chance to extend their lead further, and that's just what happens as Garnett pulls up and buries the 18-footer (50-29 :51.7) ... That's ten points now for Kevin (5-7 FG)!
Hoo boy, Garcia follows that up by throwing up a brick from behind the three-point line (Sacramento is now 0-for-6 from beyond the arc), and Pierce takes down the rebound. He brings it up the floor himself, as Doc is yelling from the sideline "2 for 1! 2 for 1!" ... He's nothing if not obedient, so Paul dutifully pulls up and buries the three-pointer (53-29 :27.3)! After a slow start, that gives The Truth 14 points (4-7 FG).
Udrih then misses (the Kings have been beyond pathetic thus far) and Rondo comes away with the loose rebound. He quickly takes it upcourt - here's the two in "2 for 1"! - but backrims the shot as the buzzer sounds ... Can't really complain though, as Boston ends the half on a 33-5 run (!) and leads 53 to 29.
The Celts shot 46 percent (12-26 FG) in the second quarter, while limiting the Kings to just 29 percent (5-17 FG) ... I'll take numbers like that, I reckon!
THIRD QUARTER
At the start of the quarter, Miller drives to the basket and collides with KG (Brad also gives Kevin a little inadvertant slap to the top of the head); that leaves Number Five a little groggy, but the refs still call him for the foul, so Miller heads to the line and makes both free throws (53-31 11:29).
Artest then steals the ball from Pierce, and gives it to Udrih who heads back the other way. He passes back to Ronnie, who frontrims the three-point attempt ... but is able to track down his own rebound (dang). He finds Udrih in the corner, who sends a pass inside to Miller for the one-hand slam (53-33 10:44)!
It's obvious that the Kings are playing with a bit of a chip on their collective shoulder, as Salmons blocks Allen's layup attempt; Udrih collects the loose ball, as he heads back the other way, then finds the trailer Salmons for the pullup jumper (53-35 9:39).
KG then misses the shot over Moore (the C's are now 0-for-4 to start the quarter) and Beno collects the rebound. He again pushes it up the floor (Sacramento has found their second wind) and takes it right at Perkins for the layup attempt ... That comes up short, however Moore is in perfect position for the offensive board and finishes with the dunk (53-37 9:07).
Doc has seen enough, as he calls a timeout. When play resumes, Rondo misses the outside shot, and Miller grabs another rebound. He passes upcourt to Artest, who finds Udrih in the paint. He drives down the lane (drawing in the defense) and gets the ball to Mikki for another two-hand slam (53-39 8:31)!
The Celts are finally "saved" by a defensive 3-second violation called on Moore; Ray makes the free throw to give Boston their first point of the half (yikes). The Celtics retain possession, and Allen tries to make a move to the basket, but Salmons plays some nice defense and causes him to cough up the ball (double yikes) ... KG is able to recover, but has his shot blocked from behind by Artest as the shot clock expires!
That makes it Kings' ball, however Salmons misses the outside shot and Ray pulls down the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, as the C's try to set up for their first field goal of the half ... but Perk screws that up as he is called for the offensive foul away from the ball!
Sacramento regains possession, as Udrih tries to score on the layup, but Kendrick comes up with the block (way to redeem yourself, Perk!). Pierce picks up the loose ball, then sends it up the floor to Allen, who drives down the lane with only Moore to beat ... He knocks Mikki to the floor, and the refs reward him with the offensive foul call!
That gives the Kings another crack at cutting into this lead; luckily, Artest misses the jumpshot and KG hauls down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Pierce behind the three-point line; that shot is wide of the mark, but Perk is able to secure the offensive board. Unfortunately, he's surrounded by three players and winds up stepping out of bounds!
Ugh, another Celtics turnover, as Perkins starts to argue that he was forced out of bounds ... The refs won't stand for that, and whistle him for a technical foul! Udrih makes the free throw, as Sacramento cuts the Boston lead down to fourteen (54-40 6:34).
Not only that, but it's Kings' ball, so they have a chance to get even closer ... However, Artest misses another shot, and Garnett takes down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Ray, and he gives the ball to Pierce, who tries to drive on Ronnie but Moore comes over for the double-team; he tries to pass out of it, but sends the ball to no one in particular as the ball rolls harmlessly out of bounds (shit).
This is getting ridiculous (that was Boston's seventh turnover of the quarter), as Sacramento regains possession; Artest makes a strong move to the basket for the layup, plus he draws the foul on Perkins (SHIT). That puts Ronnie at the line, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (54-43 5:33).
KG finally buries a jumper with 5:19 on the clock (Boston is now 1-for-8 from the field in this gawdforsaken quarter), but Moore quickly answers with the easy layup off the nice pass from Artest (56-45 5:02).
Rondo then misses, but Garnett grabs the offensive board (he's got seven rebounds) and kicks it back out to Rajon; he ends up being fouled by Udrih at the 4:22 mark, as Posey comes into the game to replace Perkins ... Meanwhile, the Celts are still trying to get their second field goal of the quarter, but Pierce takes care of that with the bullet pass inside to Ray Allen. He's able to score the layup (there you go) as well as draw the foul on Salmons, and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (59-45 4:15).
At the other end, Salmons scores (Sacramento is now 7-for-14 from the floor in the quarter), then KG tries to work his way into the paint, but fumbles away the ball (d'oh!) and Udrih picks it up. He takes it back the other way, and finds Miller for the 15-footer (59-49 3:34).
House comes into the game for Rondo with 3:18 left in the quarter (Doc is looking to breathe new life into this offense) ... Doesn't work, as Pierce has his pass stolen by Beno, and he gives it up to Artest. He takes it up the floor, then finds Salmons for the layup (59-51 3:00)!
KG scores (whew), then Ray steals the ball from Artest. He passes to Pierce, who finds Posey in the corner for the three-pointer (64-51 2:12); well, that was a much-needed basket.
Garcia tries to answer, but comes up short on the three-point shot (Sacramento is now 0-for-10 from behind the line). Unfortunately, Udrih winds up with the offensive board, and makes a nice pass back to Francisco slicing down the lane for a layup (64-53 1:43).
At the other end, Garnett attempts to make a pass to Pierce, but the ball winds up in the stands for yet another Boston turnover (!) ... Sacramento regains possession (while Pollard and Tony come into the game), as Garcia gives an upfake to get T-Allen in the air. He absorbs the contact to draw the foul (this is eerily reminiscent of the "Billups Incident"), and makes both free throws to get the Kings within single digits (64-55 1:11).
Pierce then misses the shot, and Pollard tries to tip it in; that too misses (!!!), and Douby comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Garcia, who drives to the basket and is fouled from behind by Tony (you're killing me man!). So, we head back to the line, and Francisco makes one-of-two free throws (64-56 :46.4).
Thankfully, two foul shots by Pierce with 34.1 seconds left puts the Celts back up by ten (66-56) ... That doesn't give me much comfort, however, as Boston shot just 25 percent (4-16 FG) with nine turnovers in that quarter! Sacramento, meanwhile, was on fire in the third, shooting better than 50 percent (10-19 FG) with only three turnovers.
FOURTH QUARTER
Garcia hits a three-pointer to open the quarter (he gives the crowd a little swagger after the shot, which Gorman describes as "some nonsense") ... House tries to answer, but misses the three-point attempt, and Miller comes away with the rebound. He sends it up the floor to Garcia, who dribbles around for a bit before giving the ball back to Brad; he misses the outside shot, but Artest secures the offensive rebound and scores on the putback (66-61 11:12)!
House tries another three-point shot, and actually connects on this one (good) ... At the other end, Miller misses another shot, and Posey pulls down the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who takes it back the other way, then swings the ball around to Posey behind the three-point line. He pulls up, and buries a trey of his own (72-61 10:11)!
It's still an 11-point lead, when Garnett comes back into the game at the 9:47 mark (Pollard takes a seat) ... He gets himself involved quickly, as he makes the nice pass inside to Tony who finishes with the layup (74-61 8:58).
At the other end, Artest has his shot blocked by KG (it's like he never left); Ronnie is able to recover the loose ball ... until Posey sneaks in from behind and strips him! Yeah, DEFENSE!
Posey gets the ball upcourt to Tony, who passes to Garnett. He then finds House in the corner behind the three-point line; his shot misses, however KG grabs the offensive board ... and Miller reaches over to give him a shot across the bridge of the nose, which sends Kevin to the floor in obvious pain (oh man).
That's the second time Miller has gotten KG in the face tonight (which makes it harder to believe that it's all inadvertant contact); meanwhile, Garnett is slow to get up off floor, so Boston calls a timeout with 8:30 remaining to give him a chance to recover ... Sure enough, when play resumes Kevin is still in the game (Gorman: "I don't believe this guy's walking back out on the court"), as Posey misses the three-point attempt and Garcia lets the ball bounce out of bounds.
Sacramento regains possession with a chance to trim the lead further ... Salmons misses, but the loose rebound goes off Tony and out of bounds. That gives the Kings another shot, and Garcia finds Salmons in the corner for the three-pointer (74-64 7:39).
At the other end, KG winds up being double-teamed by Garcia and Miller (watch the nose!), but is able to pass out to Tony for another layup (76-64 7:17).
Garcia then tries to lob a pass inside to Miller for the easy bucket, however House slides in to knock the ball out of his hands; Pierce dives to the floor to try and save it (nice hustle play), but it goes out of bounds with three seconds left on the shot clock ... Garcia inbounds to Miller, but Paul is again able to knock it out of his hands, as the buzzer sounds and the Kings are assessed with the turnover!
That makes it Celtics' ball, but Tony can't convert on the layup, and Garcia grabs the rebound ... We head back the other way, as Salmons has his shot partially blocked by KG, but the refs say that Posey fouled Moore trying to keep him away from the ensuing loose ball.
The Kings regain possession (as Rondo comes into the game for House), but quickly cough it up as Garcia is whistled for travelling! That puts Boston back in control with 5:57 left in the game ... Ray misses the three-point attempt, but Rondo grabs the offensive board and dribbles out to reset the offense. Then he thinks, 'Ah the hell with it', and drives right at Garcia for the layup (78-64 5:15)!
Things are looking up, as Salmons is called for his own travelling violation; Udrih follows that up by committing the foul on Rajon as he's making another strong move to the basket, and our young point guard heads to the line for one-of-two free throws (79-64 4:25).
Garcia can't answer with the jumpshot, and Garnett pulls down another rebound. He gives the ball to Rondo, who dribbles up the floor, then passes back to KG and he takes it down the lane himself. Before he can get a shot off, however, Francisco grabs him from behind ... Kevin decides to voice his displeasure with that (I'm guessing he's sick of being everyone's punching bag tonight), but eventually steps to the line with 3:48 remaining, and proceeds to miss both foul shots (dangit).
Udrih scores a basket to get Sacramento within thirteen, while at the other end Pierce sets the pick on Beno to free up Rondo ... so he just explodes down the lane and tries to go up over Moore for the one-handed dunk (!), but Mikki won't allow it and gives the hard foul. That sends Rajon sprawling to the floor, but he's okay, and is able to make both free throws (81-66 3:12).
Rondo's tenacity has been Boston's saving grace over the last few minutes, as they just might have survived Sacramento's second-half onslaught ... Sure enough, they end the game on a 10-3 run, and come out of this one with the 89-69 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 89, Sacramento 69
GAME RATING:
16
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- R. Allen: 36 MIN, 17 PTS (6-16 FG), 3 REB, 3 STL
- Pierce: 41 MIN, 16 PTS (4-12 FG), 6 AST, 4 REB
- Garnett: 36 MIN, 14 PTS (7-13 FG), 10 REB (5 OFF), 2 STL
- Rondo: 29 MIN, 13 PTS (3-10 FG, 7-10 FT), 4 REB, 4 STL, 3 AST
- Artest: 41 MIN, 15 PTS (4-15 FG), 6 REB
- Salmons: 41 MIN, 13 PTS (6-11 FG), 4 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 2 BLK
- Miller: 34 MIN, 7 PTS (2-11 FG), 11 REB, 5 TO
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Neither team shot the ball particularly well ... Boston was down around 41 percent (31-76 FG), while Sacramento was even lower (26-68 FG).
- However, the Celts were even money from three-point range (11-22 3PTers), as the King struggled with a paltry 13 percent (2-15 3PTers)!
- Rondo was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- One down, three to go ...
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