October 17, 2007
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Announcers: Mike "GORE GORE" Gorman and Tommy Gunz ; Gary "Astronauts Drink" Tanguay and Donny "Yell" Marshall (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
Knicks Starting Lineup: Zach "Attack" Randolph, Eddy RiceDish, Quenrintintin Richardson, Jamal Crawdaddy, Stephonie McMahon
I've never been a fan of the Knicks ... let me just get that out of the way right now.
I've never been a fan of Isaiah 53:3 ... I'll just throw that into the mix as well.
So, to see the combination of these two elements result in such a whirling cesspool of suckitude, I must admit a certain twisted sense of amusement in observing the whole sordid mess. It's like Isaiah and the Knicks organization have united to form some type of bizarro Voltron (en.wikipedia.org), a sickening amalgam that - rather than becoming a robot that protects the universe - does nothing but lose games and grope female employees; it really does give me the giggles just thinking about it.
But enough of this; one shouldn't revel in the misfortunes of others ... After all, we Boston fans have nothing but happy thoughts to focus on, as the "Not Big Three" make their Beantown debut tonight!
It's time to see what type of reception Garnett, Allen, and Pierce receive in front of the hometown crowd ... call me crazy, but I think it's gonna be positive.
FIRST QUARTER
It's Perkins and Curry with the opening tap, as Eddy wins out and Marbury comes away with the ball; New York sets up their offense, and Stephon passes inside to Curry who has parked himself in the paint. He backs down Perkins, tries the turnaround jumphook and hits it (0-2 11:51). At the other end, Pierce tries to work the baseline around Richardson, and Curry comes over to help; that leaves Perkins wide open for the slam dunk (2-all 11:35); we've seen that a lot over the preseason thus far (which is a good thing).
Marbury knocks down the three-pointer (the ball bounces high off the front of the rim before dropping in) to break the early tie, but then Pierce answers with the pullup jumper over Richardson (4-5 10:53) ... Pierce goes 1-for-2 from the free throw line with 9:29 left to knot things up at five apiece, then Marbury tries to bring the ball upcourt, but Rondo comes in for the steal; we go back the other way, and Rajon gets it to Pierce who passes inside to Perkins. He's immediately double-teamed, so he gives it up to KG and he makes the behind-the-back pass (!) to a cutting Rondo for the easy layup (7-5 9:08). I don't need to tell you that is VERY nice to see.
A layup by Pierce gives Boston the four-point advantage (the Celts have hit four of their first five shots). At the other end, Curry tries to make a move around Perkins and Rondo reaches in to try for the steal, but the refs whistle him for the foul; Eddy's in the act of shooting, so he goes to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (9-6 7:46).
That's already Rondo's second foul, so Hugh Laurie is in to replace him ... but it's Pierce who quickly pushes the ball upcourt, and just blows by Richardson and avoids the outstretched hand of Curry for the layup (11-6 7:42).
That brings on a quick New York timeout, but when play resumes Curry makes a lazy pass - intended for Marbury - that Pierce is easily able to pick off; he takes it the other way, drives down the lane to draw in the defenders, and kicks it out to House for the open 15-footer (13-6 7:17).
Curry scores a basket to break the Knicks' drought, but at the other end KG sets a nice pick on Crawford that frees up Ray Allen to take the ball straight to the basket; the defense collapses around him, so Ray calmly kicks it out to Pierce, who then swings it around to an open Garnett for the outside jumper (15-8 6:35); that's some nice ball movement right there.
Curry misses at the other end, but Richardson grabs the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Crawford; Pierce is caught out of position, so Jamal gives it back to a wide-open Quentin for the three-pointer (15-11 6:09).
Now Glenn Rivers M.D. is forced to call a timeout; when play resumes, Crawford eats a pick from Perk, and Ray takes the opportunity to drive down the lane and slices between two defenders for the layup (17-11 5:38). At the other end, Randolph is called for a three-second violation; Boston regains possession, and Garnett knocks down the pullup jumper over big Zach (19-11 5:03).
The Celts follow up by playing some great defense, forcing Randolph to launch up a poor three-point attempt to beat the shot clock; the ball barely hits the backboard, and KG is able to collect the loose rebound. He gives it up to House, who takes it upcourt and is able to elude Marbury, so he simply pulls up and knocks down the three-pointer (22-11 4:28)! Boston is shooting 10-for-11 from field right now!
Marbury scores on the layup at the other end, then Ray tries the off-balance fallaway jumper over Crawford and hits it (24-13 3:52); these guys can't miss!
Marbury then pulls up at the top of the key for the jumper, but Perkins comes in for the block; Stephon is able to recover the loose ball, however, and kicks it out to an open Richardson behind the three-point line. His shot misses, and Curry and Garnett battle for the loose rebound; they both end up tipping the ball to Perkins and OH SHIT Kevin lands with his right foot tangled up in Curry's left leg and comes away limping.
Damn, KG is favoring that foot as House brings the ball upcourt; meanwhile, Ray tries a quick three-point attempt which misses. Marbury comes away with the rebound, and Garnett is noticeably grimacing trying to get up and down the court (shit shit shit) as Stephon takes it coast to coast and bowls over Pierce (no call) to score the layup (24-15 3:08).
Mike and Tommy speculate that Doc is trying to get a quick timeout called so that Garnett can be attended to on the bench ... However, KG remains in the game, as Ray actually gives him the ball and - rather than immediately give it up to someone else - he takes it to Curry and draws the foul making a move to the basket! Gutsy move, if perhaps not particularly smart, as KG must now stay in the game and make his free throws; he goes 1-for-2 from the line (25-15 2:49).
Replays show that KG only "slightly rolled" his ankle (Gorman's words) on Curry's sneaker, so I guess that means it's nothing serious, as he'll stay in the game. They immediatly follow this with yet another replay, and this one shows that Pierce and Perkins bumped knees earlier in the game (I missed that one); that didn't look to be too serious either, but Paul will take advantage of the stoppage in play to take a seat on the bench (just to be on the safe side). Perkins also takes a seat during KG's free throws - I don't think his knee is bothering him - as we'll most likely finish up the quarter with KG, Ray, Parker Posey, House, and Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels ...
Powe makes the most of his newfound minutes, as he blocks a layup attempt by Richardson; there's a scramble for the loose ball, and Curry ends up with it. He gives it to Marbury, and (since the shot clock never reset) he's forced to take a deep three-point attempt, which misses. Powe pulls down the board and gives it to House, who quickly pushes it upcourt and finds Garnett underneath the basket; he's immediately double-teamed, but still attempts the turnaround jumper and misses. Powe fouls David "General" Lee going for the rebound; New York regains possession as "What's Naters Precious" Robinson comes in for Marbury with 2:05 remaining, then "Drop Dead" Fred Jones misses a three-pointer and Powe gets himself another rebound. He gives it to House, who takes it the other way and finds Garnett at the top of the key covered by Curry; he takes advantage and just spins away from Eddy for the fallaway "j" (27-15 1:37).
Lee answer with a dunk, but at the other end Allen just blows past Fred Jones; he's forced to foul him, but that doesn't stop Ray from scoring on the layup, and he adds the free throw to complete the three-point play (30-17 :57.7) ... Nice quarter all around, as Boston leads 30 to 18 after one.
SECOND QUARTER
KG played all but 2.6 seconds in that quarter (again, love the passion, but let's not risk an injury before the regular season even begins, pretty please?) before being replaced by The Scals of Justice, who starts the second alongside House, Just Pruitt, Posey and Powe ... whoops, scratch that, as Pierce is back in at the 10:43 mark to replace Pruitt. Hope you didn't break a sweat out there, Gabe.
Meanwhile, Randolph lowers his shoulder into Powe and knocks him down, but the refs decide that Leon is at fault and calls him for the foul; that's his THIRD already, so now HE has to take a seat and Perk comes back into game. This second unit isn't lasting too long, as Zach makes one-of-two from the line and the Knicks have cut Boston's lead back down to single digits (32-23 10:28).
Scal then brings the ball upcourt himself (?), but is able to find Posey cutting to the basket with a nice bounce pass, and he finishes with the uncontested layup (34-23 10:19); man, Crawford just had no idea where Posey was!
Robinson then misses a wild layup attempt and Scals dives to the floor for the loose rebound (crowd appreciates the effort and actually responds with ... cheers? For Scalabrine?) and gets the ball to Pierce; Paul quickly finds House motoring up the court, who drives down the lane before kicking it back out to a wide-open Pierce for the three-pointer (37-23 9:31)!
It's still a 14-point lead with 5:45 remaining in the half, when Perkins is called for the offensive foul setting a screen on War of the Malik Roses, and that's his fourth foul of the half (that might be a new record for Perk); Doc immediately calls a timeout, and when play resumes Scals is back into the game to play some center alongside Kevin Garnett (he had taken a seat at the 7:40 mark so that KG could come back into the game).
It's New York possession, but Richardson misses the outside shot and Rondo goes up high OVER Curry for the rebound (!) and takes it the other way before finding Scals spotting up behind the three-point line; Rajon gives it up, and Brian drains the trey (44-27 4:57).
It's Scalabrine's night, as he blocks a layup attempt by Marbury in the closing moments, and the Celts enter halftime up 50 to 35 ...
THIRD QUARTER
After a basket by Randolph to open the second half, KG goes for the hook shot in the paint and misses; Zach grabs the rebound and gives the ball to Marbury, who tries to go coast to coast but can't finish as he misses the layup attempt. Pierce attempts to get the rebound, but Curry and Perkins get tied up underneath the basket and the refs call a double foul. That's Perk's fifth foul (ouch), as a jump ball is called - Curry wins the tap, and Randolph comes away with it. He gives it to Marbury who (in turn) finds Curry, and Eddy tries to take it in over Perkins (and possibly draw the sixth foul); however, the refs' whistles remain quiet as Curry misses the shot, and Pierce comes away with the loose board. He finds Rondo, who pushes it back the other way, and then gives it to Allen who gets the ball to Garnett for the one-handed dunk (52-37 10:24).
At the other end, Perkins blocks a layup attempt by Randolph, sending the ball out of bounds; New York retains possession, but Marbury misses a layup attempt and Curry fouls Garnett going for the rebound. That's the fifth foul on Curry now (!), as David Lee comes in to replace him (Perkins is still on the court); meanwhile, KG makes a nice pass inside to Pierce for the hookshot over Richardson (54-37 9:40).
More good ball movement, as Pierce makes a nice pass of his own inside to Perkins for the two-hand slam to give Boston the 19-point lead. Lee then scores, but Pierce answers by pulling up over the lead-footed Richardson and knocking down the three-pointer (59-39 8:33) ... Celts are just all over the Knicks right now, and Isaiah may already be conceding defeat, as Allan Houston Rockets makes his return to an NBA court with 5:01 left on the clock. Meanwhile, Scals ends up being double-teamed (?) so he makes the crosscourt pass to a wide open Pierce for another three-pointer (66-43 4:39)! Paul is now 7-for-8 from the field (22 PTS); awesome.
A layup by Allen makes it a 25-point Celtics lead at the four-minute mark. Rose then misses an outside jumper at the other end; Lee tries to tip it in, but is unsuccessful, and Garnett comes away with the rebound. He gives it to Pierce, who slowly brings it upcourt himself, but notices that KG is just booking it up the floor - he actually ends up ahead of Paul, so Pierce lobs it up to him and Kevin (as the defense collapses on him in the paint) does the little touch pass to a wide-open Allen for the easy jumper (70-43 3:33).
Houston then attempts his first shot (a jumper from just inside the three-point line with Ray right in his face) which misses, and Scals tips the loose rebound out to Rondo. Doc then calls a timeout so that the Pierce/Allen/Garnett trifecta can take a seat; Pruitt, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis and Dahntay Stop Believing come into the game with 3:10 left in the quarter, as Heinsohn mentions that the "Not Big Three" have combined for 41 points tonight, while the Knicks as a team thus far have only scored 43 points. I think that's pretty much all that needs to be said right there ... Celts lead 77 to 46 heading into the final stanza.
FOURTH QUARTER
Okay, time for the bench to do their stuff and finish this game off ... Mardy "McFly" Collins misses a jumper, but Curry grabs the offensive rebound and is fouled by Davis going back up for the shot; Eddy makes just one-of-two from the line (77-47 11:33). At the other end, Davis is called for the offensive foul setting a screen for Pruitt; New York regains possession, but ZachRandolph Morris mishandles a pass from Houston and Pruitt picks up the loose ball. Now we go back the other way, as Gabe gives it up to Scals, who then passes inside to Davis; seeing Scalabrine cut to the basket, Davis makes the no-look pass back to Brian for the open layup (79-47 11:01)!
Okay, when "Big Baby" is dishing out the no-look passes, you know the game is officially over ... Meanwhile, Snifter of Brandon Wallace gets some playing time, and blocks a shot by Wilson ChandlerBing from behind at the nine-minute mark; Boston takes possession, and Pruitt slices down the lane for an easy layup (83-48 8:44).
Now let's shift our attention back to Davis (who looks to be having some fun out there), as he makes a no-look pass to Jackie Chan-uel underneath the basket for the layup with 6:55 remaining in the game; Morris scores, then Davis just spins around Chandler (nice move for a big man) and finishes with the layup (88-54 5:31).
Just a quick note, as I'm about ready to wrap this baby up ... Even though it's a 30-plus lead with 4:50 left, Davis still dives to the floor after a loose ball (Tommy: "He almost dented the floor", Gorman: "It'll take 20 minutes for the kids to clean up the sweat there"). It's nice to see the young guys still showing that level of hustle in this late stage of the game. See, when the big names like KG and Pierce are willing to hit the floor hard, that effort trickles down to the entire roster and makes everyone want to give it their all; it's not just lip service, people!
Anyway, Powe hits a jumper at the top of the key with :23.9 seconds left to put Boston at the century mark, much to the delight of the crowd (Gorman: "Fans are acting like they're getting free chalupas or something"). At the other end, Powe knocks the ball out of the hands of Jared "Not That" Jordan and takes it back the other way; Morris has to grab his jersey to prevent the easy layup (it's kinda late to be showing some defensive hustle now, just let him go, man) so the refs make the clear-path-to-the-basket call. Powe steps up to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (101-61 :10).
That's the final margin of victory, as Boston ends up dominating by FORTY POINTS, 101 to 61 ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 101, New York 61
GAME RATING:
20
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 22 PTS (7-8 FG, 3-4 3PTers), 6 REB, 5 AST, 2 BLK
- Garnett: 13 PTS (6-15 FG), 8 REB, 3 AST
- R. Allen: 14 PTS (6-8 FG)
- Pruitt: 13 PTS (6-9 FG), 4 AST
- Powe: 8 PTS (3-4 FG), 7 REB
- Randolph: 9 PTS (3-12 FG), 12 REB
- Marbury: 9 PTS (4-10 FG), 3 REB
- Lee: 7 PTS (3-6 FG), 8 REB
TOMMY QUOTES:
- "You gotta love Eddie House ... he's not a cottage, he's a HOUSE!"
- "You know, I'm looking at Big Baby, his number is eleven. Y'know, those straight-up numbers like that, it makes him look twice as wide! He needs a crooked number, right?"
- I know it's a preseason game and everything, but Boston was able to hold New York to just 26 percent shooting for the entire game (22-85 FG); that's pretty darn good.
- Not a single Knicks player scored in double figures.
- The Celtics, meanwhile, were hovering around the 60-percent shooting range (40-71 FG).
- This is Boston's largest margin of victory in a preseason game since 1988 (a 128-84 thrashing of Milwaukee on October 27th).
- It was Rondo's turn to address the crowd before the start of the game, thanking everyone for coming out and showing their support.
- As expected, Allan Tony did not play, recovering from a scratched cornea courtesy of an elbow from Brandon Wallace during practice (bostonherald.com); ouch.
- Comcast SportsNet decided to debut their new set during the pregame show for tonight's game; it's pretty snazzy-looking. It's certainly a lot more spacious than the old FSN studios (I took a tour of those facilities last summer, and it's really a lot smaller than the cameras make it look on TV).
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