October 20, 2007
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Mohegan Sun Arena (Uncasville, CT)
Announcers: Mike AnGormanagement and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn ; Gary PoonTanguay and Donny Darko (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels, The Scals of Justice, Parker Posey
Sixers Starting Lineup: Willie "Or Won't He" Green, Andre Miller Has a Posse, Jason Smithee, Reggie EvansToBetsy, Andre IguodalaAndCents
Apparently, yesterday's non-game in Worcester did not provide the Celtics with enough of a day off, as Glenn Rivers M.D. will be keeping three of his starters (Da Troof, Kevvy G, and Perk'd Off) on the bench tonight against the Sixers ... Ray Allen will be the only one of the "Not Big Three" to take the floor, of course; if officials were fearful of a riot last night, just see what would happen if the "hometown" crowd found out that the former UConn player wasn't playing!
FIRST QUARTER
Powe wins the opening tap and Rondo collects the ball; he gets it to Ray (the crowd immediately perks up), who takes it right to the hoop against Green. The shot misses, but Powe grabs the offensive rebound and lays it in (2-0 11:40).
Iguodala then tries to pass inside to Green, but it's too high and the ball sails out of bounds; Boston regains possession off the turnover, but Ray tries to make a shot for himself and is cut off by two defenders, so he passes out to Rondo. Rajon then tries to work the baseline, before kicking it back out to Allen who is wide open behind the three-point line, however the shot clock expires before he can get the shot off.
That gives it back to Philadelphia, but Smith misses the shot and Scalabrine corrals the rebound; he gives it to Rondo, who takes it back the other way and tries to drive on Miller, before dishing out to Posey for the three-point attempt.
It fails to find the bottom of the net, while at the other end Smith tries the turnaround jumper over Scals; that too misses, but Evans snatches the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Green behind the three-point line. This one goes in, and now the Sixers have the lead (2-3 9:39).
Scals tries to answer with a three-point shot of his own and misses, but Posey grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Ray, who (seeing that Iguodala isn't sure of his defensive assignment) gives it right back to a wide-open Posey for the three-point shot ... Unfortunately, his plan fails to come to fruition, as that too misses (Boston is 1-for-7 from the field to start the game) and Smith snatches the rebound. He gets the ball to Miller, and dribbles upcourt before passing off to Green who pulls up over Allen for the jumper (2-5 7:44).
At the other end, Powe sets a nice pick on Miller to free up Ray, who takes it right down the lane and is fouled by Evans going for the layup; that sends Allen to the free throw line, and he knocks down both foul shots (4-5 7:29).
However, Iguodala is then left wide open for the three-pointer to put Philadelphia back ahead. At this point, Heinsohn mentions that the Celtics lineup on the floor will "mostly be a perimeter team", and Rondo must have heard him as he takes it upon himself to drive to the basket, as he blows past Miller and then gives the little ball-fake to get Andre in the air for the easy layup (6-5 7:01).
Ashton Korver (just into the game to replace Iggy) hits a three-pointer of his own, while at the other end Rondo again takes it strong to the basket over Smith; the shot misses and he hits the floor hard (couldn't stick the landing and banged his left elbow), while Evans grabs the rebound and gets the ball to Miller. He quickly pushes it upcourt to exploit the 5-on-4 advantage (Rajon is still on the floor recovering), and Andre takes it in over Posey to draw the foul and makes both free throws (6-13 6:20).
Rondo stays in the game, and even tries to take it in strong to the hoop again (he wants Tommy to eat those words!) as he goes right at Evans for the layup attempt, but that misses and Evans grabs another rebound; he gets it to Miller, who passes upcourt to Smith and he is fouled by Scals and makes both free throws (6-15 6:04) ... This lineup is having its problems, as Scals completely bricks a three-pointer (Boston is now shooting 2-for-12 from the field); at the other end, Green tries to drive to the basket, but Ray just takes the ball right out of his hands (nice defense that). Now we go back the other way, and Allen gives it up to Rondo, who swings it around to Posey, and he gets it back to Ray who hits the little leaner with Miller all over him (8-15 4:55).
Rondo adds the short jumper to get Boston within five, but the Sixers are still hot from behind the arc, as Miller drives down the lane to draw in the defense before kicking it out to a wide-open Green for the three-pointer (10-18 3:39) ... Glen "Macrosomia" Davis gets some early playing time, as he and Allan Tony come into the game with 3:19 remaining in the quarter (Powe and Scals take a seat); meanwhile, Rondo has an open shot at the basket, but decides to try and dribble at the last second and is called for the travelling violation. Philly regains possession, and Rajon is called for the foul trying to steal the ball from Miller; that's his second foul, so Hugh Laurie comes in at the 2:45 mark. When play resumes, Tony almost immediately fouls Rodney CarneyFolk, and (now that Boston is over the limit) Rodney goes to the line and makes one-of-two free throws to give the Sixers their first double-digit lead (10-20 2:44).
Not a good outing for the C's thus far, as Philadelphia still leads by ten (15-25) at the end of one.
SECOND QUARTER
It's up to a 13-point deficit as Kevin OllieOllieOxenFree makes two free throws at the 11:08 mark and Davis has to head to the bench with his third foul; Posey comes back in to replace "Big Baby", while House misses a three-pointer. However, Scals grabs the offensive rebound and passes out to Posey, who swings it around to Tony and he proceeds to give Smith the little crossover move and goes in for the layup (18-29 10:41).
Green then misses the outside shot and Tony snatches the loose board; he takes it upcourt himself before kicking it to Dahntay Stop Believing on the wing for the quick jumper (20-29 10:24) ... This lineup seems to have a little more life to it, as Tony blows past Green for the layup to cut it to just a seven-point deficit with 9:30 to go. Philly calls a timeout, and when play resumes Miller drives to the basket and it looks like he and Tony bump knees; Allen hits the deck, leaving Iguodala wide open for the three-pointer and he nails it (32-22 9:12). Tony is limping slightly on his way back upcourt, but looks to be alright (whew).
However, with 8:11 to go in the half, Allen fouls Miller going for the loose rebound; that's Tony's third, so looks like he's going to get some rest for that knee whether he likes it or not. Rondo comes in to replace him, while Korver misses the outside shot and Posey snares the carom; he gets the ball to Rajon, who quickly brings it upcourt to start the fast break, and finds House wide open behind the three-point line. Of course, the shot doesn't go in (Boston has now missed all ten of their three-point attempts!) and Scals fouls Smith going for the rebound. That sends Jason to the line, and he makes both free throws (22-34 7:48).
Posey knocks down a three-pointer (finally!) to get Boston back within single digits, while at the other end Miller misses the shot from behind the arc and Rondo pulls down the rebound; he takes it upcourt himself, then passes to Dahntay who tries to make the move around Korver, but is called for the palming violation. The Sixers regain possession, and Green hits the pullup jumper over Dahntay (25-36 6:48).
A layup by Rondo with 5:40 on the clock again gets the Celts within nine; Miller then tries to dribble around Rajon and just slips and hits the floor face-first (where does he think he is, Worcester?). Scals ends up falling on top of Miller going for the loose ball, and the refs whistle him for the foul. Boston is over the limit, which sends Andre to the line and he knocks them both down (27-38 5:26) ... Those are Philly's 19th and 20th free throw attempts of the half; Boston has just five; you know that makes Tommy happy ("What we oughta do, if they keep fouling the Celts out, we'll let the referees suit up and play!").
House knocks down the trey with 1:19 remaining to get the Celts within eight, but at the other end he fouls Ollie (Eddie's now the fifth Celtic with three fouls) so we're back to the free throw line where Kevin goes one-for-two (38-47 1:03). Tony answers by knocking down the jumper, then Louis "Billy Dee" Williams drives to the basket and House is called for another foul; that is now his fourth, so he takes a seat and Just Pruitt is in to replace him as Williams makes both freebies (40-48 :33.2).
Rondo then upfakes in the paint to give himself some room on Williams; it gives him enough space where he could've taken the shot, but instead he kicks it out to Posey (Rajon's still gotta build up some confidence in that shot) who then tries to get the ball back to Rondo, but Williams steps in for the steal and takes it all the way back for the two-handed dunk (40-50 :14.0).
Boy, a lot of sloppy play displayed in the first half, as Ray is forced to take a deep three-pointer with two seconds left on the clock that hits nothing but air (Allen is 0-for-5 from beyond the three-point line) as the C's trail 40 to 50 at halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
At the start of the second half, Iguodala tries the pullup jumper over Scals that misses, but the loose rebound bounces right back out to Iggy so he takes it in and scores on the reverse layup (40-52 11:41). Ray hits a fallaway jumper over Green (we need him to heat up), then Miller has his three-point attempt bounce off the side of the backboard (HA HA!) and Posey recovers the loose ball; he passes upcourt to Ray, who loses Green off the dribble and goes in for the layup PLUS the foul! He adds the free throw to complete the three-point play (45-52 10:35).
Miller then misses, and Scalabrine pulls down the rebound; he gives the ball to Ray, who takes it upcourt and finds Posey spotting up in the corner for the trey (48-52 10:10)! Now the Sixers are looking flustered, as Green misses another shot, and Posey gets the rebound followed by a fullcourt pass to Ray Allen; he tries for the layup over Smith and is fouled, and ALMOST gets the basket as well, but it rims out (dangit!) so it's a trip to the line for Allen and he makes one-of-two (49-52 9:52).
Philly is forced to call a timeout, and when play resumes Miller misses the outside shot and Posey pulls down the rebound. He gives it to Rondo who takes it upcourt, then passes back to Posey for the three-point attempt; it clanks off the rim, but Powe snares the offensive board and is fouled by Evans going up for the putback. That earns Leon a trip to the line and he also makes one-of-two (50-52 9:18).
Green answers with a jumper, then Ray mishandles a pass from Posey (Gorman: "He was shooting that before he caught it") and the defense swarms around him with the shot clock winding down; Allen eventually gets the ball back to Posey, who is forced to take the off-balance turnaround jumper to beat the buzzer, and (of course) it hits nothing but air, which means it's a shot clock violation.
Philadelphia regains possession, but Green misses the shot (the Sixers are 2-for-8 from the field in the quarter) and Powe grabs the rebound; he gives it to Rondo who quickly brings the ball upcourt and passes to Scals in the corner. Brian sees Smith flying at him so he throws up the shot (expecting the contact) but Jason ends up sailing right by him, and yet the shot goes in anyway (52-54 8:13)! Celts needed a few lucky breaks tonight ...
Green misses again and Rondo gets the rebound; he takes it upcourt and finds Scals in the exact same spot (this time no one is near him), and the big guy knocks down the shot to tie the game (54-all 7:43)! At the other end, Powe takes the charge from Evans to give Boston back possession, and the team displays some nice ball movement as Scals swings it around to Ray who (in turn) finds Rondo for the little jumpshot and the lead (56-54 7:00)!
Philly takes a timeout, and when play resumes Rondo ALMOST steals a bad pass by Smith, but Evans collects the loose ball and (since all the Celtics were starting to go the other way) he finds Iggy wide open underneath the basket and Rondo is forced to wrap him up to prevent the easy layup; he makes one-of-two from the line to get the score knotted at 56 apiece (56-all 6:40). Powe then spins around Evans (!) and goes up over Smith for the layup (58-56 6:30); don't see that everyday!
At the other end, Smith tries to barrel his way to the basket, but Powe steps up and takes another charge! Boston takes back possession with a chance to build on their lead ... Posey misses a three-pointer, but Rondo goes up high over Miller for the offensive rebound and - falling out of bounds - he throws the ball off Miller to make sure he's the last one to touch it. That gets the crowd excited, although it should be noted that the ball ended up hitting Andre right in a (ahem) sensitive area; ouch.
Even if Miller can't have children anymore, it's still Boston ball (and that's all that really matters), but Ray misses the pullup jumper and Evans collects the rebound; Sixers take it the other way, and Andre (showing no ill effects) gives the upfake on Allen to draw the foul and makes one-of-two free throws to get his team back within one (58-57 5:22).
Powe then tries to give the ball to Posey, but I don't think James was expecting the pass as the ball goes right off his shoulder; Miller picks it up and goes coast to coast for the layup (58-59 5:08) ... A jumper by Smith puts Philly back up by three, while at the other end Rondo misses the outside shot and Smith pulls down the loose board. The big man brings it up the floor himself (!) before giving the ball to Miller, who pulls up over Rajon for the short "jay" (60-65 2:51).
Unfortunately, the Celts are starting to lose their momentum, as Iguodala steals a pass from Ray and takes it upcourt (he knocks down Scals but no foul is called) then shows off the behind-the-back dribble before giving it up to Carney for the layup (63-71 :45.8). House then tries to get a lazy pass inside to Powe, and Miller picks it off; we're quickly going back the other way, and Andre gets the ball to Carney for yet another layup (63-73 :29.0) ... Just like that, it's a double-digit deficit again, as we head into the final stanza with the Sixers up 63 to 73.
FOURTH QUARTER
Ray starts the quarter on the bench, as Doc will try his luck with the small-ball lineup of Pruitt, House, Tony, Dahntay, and "Big Baby" at center ... Meanwhile, Williams goes up over Davis for the layup to give Philadelphia the 13-point lead with 9:20 to go. At the other end, Tony can't connect on the 15-footer and Carney ends up with the loose rebound; he takes it up the floor, and passes to Iguodala, who dribbles behind his back (rubbing it in) before giving the ball to Smith for the layup (66-81 8:48).
House then misses the outside shot (Boston is 1-for-5 from the field in the quarter) and Davis fouls Carney going for the rebound; Philly regains possession, and Carney blows past House and drives to the basket (which draws in Davis), so he gives it up to Smith who slices down the lane for the strong two-hand slam (66-83 8:08); wow, that was a pretty athletic move for the 7-footer.
I think it's time to kiss Boston's undefeated preseason bye-bye ... Celts can't mount any sort of offensive rally, as they eventually fall to the Sixers 78 to 96.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 78, Philadelphia 96
GAME RATING:
5
ABNORMAL
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Rondo: 10 PTS (5-13 FG), 8 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL, 2 TO
- R. Allen: 16 PTS (5-13 FG, 0-5 3PTers, 6-7 FT), 2 AST
- Davis: 9 PTS (4-6 FG), 5 REB
- Powe: 5 PTS (2-2 FG), 7 REB (3 OFF)
- J. Smith: 16 PTS (6-9 FG), 9 REB
- Iguodala: 14 PTS (5-9 FG), 5 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL
- Carney: 14 PTS (5-8 FG), 4 REB
- Miller: 10 PTS (2-8 FG, 6-8 FT), 7 AST, 3 REB, 3 STL
POST-GAME NOTES:
- The Celtics had just an awful shooting night (30-79 FG), including only 16.7 percent from three-point range (4-24 3PTers)! Ray Allen seemed to especially be forcing the issue (probably wanting to please his Connecticut fans) ... Philadelphia, meanwhile, was shooting up at 46 percent (30-65 FG), and even better in three-pointers (7-13 3PTers, 53.8 percent).
- The Sixers had been one of only two teams to go winless thus far in the preseason (Miami being the other) ...
- Rajon was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- While it would've been nice to see the C's run the gauntlet and go undefeated in the preseason (as meaningless as that may be), I can take comfort in the fact that they have another chance to humiliate the Knicks, as they venture into Madison Square Garden Monday night.
No comments:
Post a Comment