October 22, 2007
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Madison Square Garden (New York, NY)
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, The Scals of Justice, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Knicks Starting Lineup: Stephonie McMahon, Jamal Crawdaddy, Eddy RiceDish, Quenrintintin Richardson, Zach "Attack" Randolph
I guess the Celtics enjoy beating down New York as much as I enjoy watching them deliver said beating, because they're not going to take it easy on their hapless Atlantic Division rivals tonight ... Garnett and Pierce are back in the lineup (Perkins will have another night off to rest a sore hamstring), joining Ray Allen once again as the "Not Big Three" will try to best their previous effort against the Knicks.
Can they beat them by 45 points tonight? 50? 60? Am I going to end up eating my words (however unlikely that might be) and watch in horror as this collection of inferior talent gets its revenge against the C's? Let's find out!
FIRST QUARTER
KG wins the the opening tip against Curry and Rondo ends up with the ball; he gets it back to Garnett, who then tries to lob it to Rajon underneath the basket, but he wasn't expecting the pass and the ball sails over his head out of bounds. The Knicks regain possession, however Randolph mishandles a pass from Marbury and Allen recovers; we take it back the other way, as Pierce makes the nice pass inside to KG for the layup (2-0 11:26).
Curry tries to answer with the hookshot over Kevin but misses; Garnett snatches the rebound and gives it to Ray, who takes it up the floor himself before getting the ball back to KG in the paint. He's quickly double-teamed, so he kicks it out to Scalabrine, and he knocks down the three-pointer (5-0 10:57).
Like what I'm seeing thus far, as Randolph misses the shot and Allen grabs the loose rebound; he again leads the fastbreak the other way, as KG sets the pick to take Crawford out of the picture, leaving Ray an open path down the lane for an easy layup (7-0 10:23).
Richardson hits a three-pointer to put New York in the scoring column, then at the other end Rondo slices down the lane (to draw in the defense) before kicking it out to a wide-open Pierce behind the arc; however, he misses the three-point attempt, and Crawford comes away with the rebound. He gets the ball up to Stephon, who runs right into Scals' chest, but the refs call a blocking foul; that means it's still Knicks ball, as Randolph finishes with the left-handed hook over Scalabrine (7-5 9:25).
Scals tries to answer with the outside jumpshot but misses, and Crawford gets the rebound; he finds Marbury (covered by KG) and just blows right by the bigger man for the layup to tie the score (7-all 9:04). Scalabrine then misses the three-pointer, but Ray takes the offensive board, then steps back and kisses it off the glass for two points (9-7 8:46).
Crawford misses at the other end, but Curry interjects his ample girth underneath the basket and secures the offensive board; he then tries to get the ball back to Jamal, but KG intercepts the pass and gets it upcourt to Allen for the 2-on-1 fast break. Ray gives the ball up to Pierce behind the three-point line and Marbury has to commit to him, so Paul gives it right back to Allen (also behind the three-point line) and he buries the trey (12-7 8:19)!
Two free throws by Stephon gets the Knicks within three with eight minutes on the clock, then Rondo has his shot blocked by Richardson; KG is able to recover the loose ball, and passes to Scals who misses the three-point attempt. Richardson snares the carom and gets it to Marbury, who quickly takes it back the other way and passes inside to Randolph; Zach backs down Scals and goes for the layup attempt (which rims out), but Stephon gets the offensive board and immediately goes back up with it. That too misses, but big Zach has plenty of room to tip it in himself (12-11 7:31). Hmm, I'm starting to worry that the beefy tandem of Randolph and Curry is going to make the absence of Perkins feel all the more pronounced.
Garnett then misses a turnaround jumper over Curry, and Richardson comes away with the rebound; he gets it upcourt to Crawford, who makes a bullet pass inside to Eddy (who himself gave a surprisingly agile spin move to leave Scals in the dust and is now being covered by the six-foot Rondo!). Curry actually misses the layup attempt, but - with no one at his height level around to guard him - he easily tips in the putback (12-13 7:02); see what I was talking about?
At the other end, Garnett throws a nice move on Curry (KG definitely has the quickness advantage here) and Eddy is forced to foul him; he makes both free throws to put Boston back on top with 6:45 on the clock. Marbury then misses a three-pointer, and Pierce comes away with the rebound; he takes it upcourt himself and tries to pass inside to KG, but Curry fouls him from behind. That's his second, so Eddy lumbers to the bench as David "General" Lee comes in to replace him; when play resumes Pierce hits the pullup jumper over Richardson (16-13 5:26).
Crawford knocks down a trey to tie the score at 16 apiece, while KG follows that up by backing down Lee and hitting the fallaway "jay" (18-16 4:48) ... A basket by Marbury knots the score up again at 18-all, as Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels and Hugh Laurie come into the game (Scals and Rondo take a seat). Meanwhile, Pierce misses the three-point shot, and Lee takes down the loose board. He gives it to Marbury, who dribbles coast to coast before taking it right at KG in the paint; his layup attempt misses, but Powe fouls Lee going for the rebound. Marbury then inbounds to Randolph, who misses the hook shot over Powe, but Lee is able to grab the offensive board and scores on the putback (18-20 4:04).
Knicks are definitely showing signs of life tonight (compared to the way they were completely flat-lining in the previous game) ... Leon makes a nice move to the basket for the layup to again tie the score, but at the other end Marbury loses House off the dribble and slices down the lane for the too-easy layup (20-22 3:22). At the other end, Ray is fouled while making a move to the basket and hits both free throws, but the Knicks quickly answer as Randolph muscles his way in over Powe for the basket (22-24 2:25).
We're not done yet, as Pierce knocks down the jumper right in Lee's face with two minutes remaining in the quarter. At the other end of the court, Marbury blows past Ray and goes in for layup; now, it looks like KG gets the clean block, but the refs whistle him for the foul, so that puts Stephon at the line and he makes one-of-two free throws (24-25 1:48).
During the stoppage of play, Ray is the first of the "Not Big Three" to take a seat on the bench (he did all the heavy lifting the other night), as his namesake Allan Tony comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, KG makes a nice pass inside to Powe, but his laypu attempt rolls right out of the rim (so close!). House is able to pick up the loose rebound and immediately pulls up for the three-pointer; that too misses, but Powe (still underneath the basket) snatches the offensive board away from Lee. He goes back up and again misses (!!!), but stays with it and finally scores, plus he is fouled by Subway's Jared Jeffries! Unfortunately, he can't make the free throw to complete the three-point play (26-25 1:18).
Jeffries then misses a shot and KG grabs the 'bound; he quickly gets the ball to House, who finds Pierce at the top of the key, and Paul drives down the lane as War of the Malik Roses reaches in for the foul. That earns Boston another trip to the line, and Pierce makes both foul shots to put his team up three (28-25 :56.1).
"What's Naters Precious" Robinson knocks down the jumpshot to get New York back within one, while at the other end Pierce is double-teamed (which leaves Powe wide open under the basket). However, Leon misses yet another open layup (what the?!?) and Nate picks up the loose rebound. He takes it upcourt and finds Lee, who goes in over Parker Posey for the basket (28-29 :20.5).
Celts try to go for last shot, but Pierce misses the pullup jumper over Jeffries as time expires, and the quarter ends with Boston down 28 to 29; not exactly what I was looking for.
SECOND QUARTER
Nate opens the second quarter with a floater in the lane over House; at the other end, Lee pokes the ball out of Posey's hands for the steal. Robinson picks it up, and proceeds to go coast to coast for the layup (28-33 11:27). Ray then tries a pullup jumper in the lane and misses (he had been 3-for-3 from the field in the first quarter), and Stephon comes away with the rebound. He dribbles upcourt and takes it all the way in himself, and Tony is forced to foul him to prevent the layup; Marbury makes both free throws and suddenly it's a seven-point Knicks lead (28-35 10:54) ...
It doesn't end there, as Powe has his layup attempt blocked from behind by Rose, and Nate collects the loose ball; he takes it back the other way, and throws a mean bounce pass back to Rose who (somehow) is all by himself under the basket, and he finishes with the one-hand dunk (28-37 10:35); geez, someone missed an assignment there.
Man, I am really starting to regret feeling so cocky before the start of the game, as Ray misses a three-point attempt and Rose snares the board; he gives the ball to Robinson, who dribbles upcourt before making the no-look pass to Jeffries for the layup (28-39 10:03)! That's a double-digit deficit as the New York crowd is loving it.
That forces Glenn Rivers M.D. to call a timeout; when play resumes, Rondo bricks the outside shot (Boston has now missed their last seven field goals) and Lee pulls down the rebound. He gets it to Nate, who again pushes the ball upcourt, while Rose sets a screen on Rajon that leaves Robinson open for the pullup jumper and he banks it in (28-41 9:24)! I'm suddenly feeling illl ...
Rondo makes two foul shots with 9:08 remaining to break the Celtics' scoring drought, but the Knicks quickly answer as Jeffries powers his way in over Ray for the layup (30-43 8:56); too easy ... It's still a 13-point deficit when KG and Pierce come back into the game (Scals and Tony take a seat). Meanwhile, Posey misses a three-point shot and Crawford gets the board; he takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Curry who just stumbles his way into KG's chest for the layup (32-47 5:42)! That could've been either a travelling call or an offensive foul, but the refs choose to call nothing (Tommy: "He's at home, wadda ya gonna do?").
At the other end, Garnett (clearly pissed now) plants himself in the paint and calls for the ball; Ray obliges by passing to him, and KG (covered by Curry) gives the little ball-fake to make room and finishes with the MONSTER one hand dunk to get the Celtics bench on their feet (34-47 5:23). Now Curry wants to retaliate with KG guarding him, but spends too much time in the paint and is whistled for the 3-second violation (Tommy: "Nice call, he was in there for five!"). Boston regains possession, but Ray tries driving down the lane and knocks down Crawford, earning himself the offensive foul call; we take it back the other way, and Curry (probably still sore) goes over KG with the hook shot (34-49 4:25).
KG makes the nice over-the-shoulder pass to Rondo who finishes with a layup, then Crawford misses and Rondo comes away with the loose rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt, then passes to Ray who pulls up for the 15-foot jumper. The shot misses, but KG is right under the basket and - in one motion - cups the rebound in his right hand and throws it right back down for another bench-pleasing slam (38-49 3:38) ...
Now the Celts are playing with some intensity, as Richardson has his shot blocked by KG with 1:57 left in the half; Pierce picks up the loose ball and takes it upcourt himself, then blows by Marbury and goes in for the layup. He scores, but Richardson comes in from behind and just hammers him across the back of the head (hit was so hard it knocked his headband clean off); Paul lands on the floor hard but appears to be alright (looks more pissed off than injured). What a chicken shit move, in the preseason no less! Anyway, Pierce makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (45-53 1:50).
Man, that cheap hit still has me riled up ... Nevertheless, the Celts have made a better showing for themselves this quarter, but still trail 46 to 55 entering the second half.
THIRD QUARTER
A jumper by Marbury gives New York the double-digit lead again, while at the other end Rondo tries to make the bounce pass inside to KG but he can't handle it and Randolph picks up the loose ball. He gives it to Marbury, who takes it upcourt before passing back to Zach who tries the deep jumper (a little out of his range, I would say); that misses, and Ray grabs the rebound. We head back the other way, as Allen kicks it to Pierce who just blows by Richardson down the lane, and finishes with the left-handed layup (48-57 10:29).
Curry then tries to back down Garnett, and finishes with the layup (Tommy: "There's no way that Garnett's gonna be able to outmuscle Curry"). However, Garnett answers by using his quickness to outmanuever Curry and scores the layup of his own (50-59 9:55). Heinsohn happily reports "That's beef against brains!"
A basket by Randolph puts the deficit back at eleven, then KG is double-teamed and tries to kick the ball out to Ray, but Marbury intercepts the pass and takes it all the way in for the uncontested layup (50-63 8:39).
Things are looking bad right now, as Rondo has his shot attempt blocked by Crawford. Curry grabs the loose ball and gives it to Crawford, who sends it upcourt to Marbury and he just pulls up two feet behind the three-point line and lets it fly; the shot misses, but the refs call the foul on Powe battling underneath with Curry for the rebound (which is ridiculous, as Eddy nearly pulled the jersey right off of Leon's back pushing him out of the way). Heinsohn points out that they had called a foul on Curry before, and "they can't call two in a row on him or he'll feel picked on!"
So, it's still (incorrectly) New York ball, but Marbury tries to get a little fancy with the bounce pass to Curry that bounces right out of bounds; Boston now regains possession, and Pierce drives down the lane into three defenders and the refs call Richardson for the foul. Quentin starts arguing (I guess he's the one who feels picked on now), and the refs tack on a technical foul; Ray hits that free throw, then Paul takes his place at the line and makes both of his foul shots (53-63 7:47).
Marbury then misses a jumpshot, but Wilson ChandlerBing grabs the offensive board and gives it up to Randolph, who barrels down the lane - with no regard for human life! - and just flattens Powe; this time the refs show mercy and call Zach for the offensive foul, giving Boston back possession and Pierce makes the most of it as he blows past Chandler and finishes with the layup (55-63 7:16).
At the other end, Crawford misses a three-point attempt and Curry knocks down Pierce going for the rebound; that's Eddy's fifth foul, so Lee comes back in to replace him. That also puts New York over the limit, so Paul makes one more trip to the line and makes one-of-two foul shots (56-63 6:53).
Crawford is fouled by Ray taking the ball to the basket (Tommy: "He just threw himself at the guy!") and makes both free throws. However, Pierce answers with another sweet move around Chandler and finishes with the layup (Lee gave him a little nudge so probably could've called the foul too) to again get the Celts within seven (58-65 6:27).
Chandler then misses a shot, and Powe snags the rebound; he gives the ball to Rondo, who finds KG under the basket and he attempts the spin move around Lee for the fallaway jumper. The shot misses, but Chandler fouls him from behind (crowd wanted a clean block) and Garnett makes both freebies (60-65 5:53).
The same play almost repeats itself at the other end of the court, as Crawford spins away from Ray to try and get open for the jumper, but Rondo swoops in from behind for the rejection (only this time the refs don't call the foul)! Rajon recovers the loose ball, takes it upcourt, then kicks it out to a wide-open Ray Allen behind the three-point line; he can't hit it (Boston is now 2-for-15 from three-point range) and Marbury comes away with the rebound. He tries to take it all the way in himself, but Pierce makes the steal and gets it up to Ray who has just Crawford to beat; Allen goes in for the layup, but gets tangled up with Jamal and hits the floor HARD (can't tell if he fell down or was pulled down).
Ray comes up holding his elbow, as KG and Pierce pin Crawford against the backboard support to show their displeasure at another (seemingly) dirty foul; this move gets both teams riled up and in each other's faces, but order is quickly restored before things get a chance to escalate further, and Ray - who appears to be alright - goes to the free throw line for two. He makes one of them to get the deficit down to four (61-65 4:55)
At the other end, Marbury misses a three-point attempt, but the refs whistle Ray for fouling Crawford while going for the rebound (please); it's still NY ball, and Chandler takes it down the lane for the layup attempt, but Powe steps in to absorb the charge. A nice move by Leon that gives Boston back possession, and Chandler fouls Pierce trying to keep him from setting up position in the paint; the Knicks are over the limit, so Paul goes to the line and makes both foul shots (63-65 4:17).
Chandler then takes a horrible three-point attempt that misses badly, but Lee bails him out with the offensive board and goes up for the putback dunk; he's fouled by Powe and makes two free throws of his own (63-67 4:03).
At the other end, Lee is whistled for the rare defensive 3-second violation; that's a technical, and Ray makes the free throw to get the C's within three. When play resumes, Pierce just abuses Chandler with the spin move (poor kid nearly landed flat on his ass) and knocks down the pullup jumper (66-67 3:46); Paul now has 13 points in the quarter.
However, Nate Robinson hits two straight baskets (one of them a three-pointer) to give New York a little breathing room; Ray then makes a nice pass inside to Powe, who is fouled by Randolph and goes 1-for-2 from the line (69-74 1:56) ... Pierce adds a trey with 3.2 seconds remaining on the clock (that's 18 points for him in the third), as we enter the final stanza with the Knicks still up five, 72 to 77.
FOURTH QUARTER
Both teams start off the quarter with some sloppy play, as no one scores until Scals rebounds a missed shot by House and finishes with the layup (74-77 9:42); of course, Scals missed two three-point attempts and committed his fifth foul prior to that, but who's counting? Meanwhile, House and Robinson get tangled up and have a little verbal confrontation themselves (geez, some people get so bent out of shape over a little thing like getting beaten by 40 points); the two are separated, and when play resumes Crawford makes the nice pass inside to Lee, who finishes with the two hand dunk over Tony (74-79 9:24).
Rondo then tries to take it in over Chandler and misses, as Chandler grabs the rebound; he tries to get the ball to Crawford, but Rajon alertly steps in and takes the ball right back! He steps back to reset the offense, then passes to Ray who tries to lean into Lee while shooting to draw the foul call, but no dice; the shot misses, however Rondo grabs the offensive rebound (he's everywhere!) and finishes with the layup (76-79 8:00) ... Deficit's down to just two with 7:30 remaining, but Lee quickly gets the crowd back into things with the one-hand dunk (78-82 7:13).
At the other end, KG is double-teamed and tries to kick it back out to House, but the ball goes up over Eddie's head; Nate beats Rajon to the loose ball, and takes it in for the uncontested layup (78-84 6:56).
Lee then fouls KG underneath the basket with 6:41 left in the game, as Pierce comes back in to replace House (Doc now has the entire "Not Big Three" on the court). When play resumes, Garnett is again double-teamed, and again makes a bad pass; he tries to get the ball to Rajon (who is open underneath the basket), but Randolph makes the steal and gives it to Crawford, who takes it upcourt before passing back to Randolph in the paint. KG has his covered, but (inexplicably) Pierce is called for the three-second violation! Not sure how the ref came to that conclusion, but it's a technical nonetheless and Crawford makes the free throw to get the deficit up to seven. It's still New York ball, as Nate pulls up from three-point land and buries it (78-88 6:14); I really don't like Nate Robinson.
Things are looking bleak ... Posey hits a trey to cut it back down to seven with 3:33 to go; at the other end, Marbury comes up short on the layup attempt and Rondo snatches the rebound. He takes it the other way and gets the ball to Ray, who tries to work the baseline, but (seeing no opening) instead skips it out to Posey for another three-pointer (85-89 3:01)!
KG is then called for the foul trying to keep Randolph out of the paint (that's bull), so Zach finds himself at the line and makes both free throws (85-91 2:47). At the other end, Ray has his three-point shot bounce off the side of the backboard (Allen has misses his last nine shots) as Robinson grabs the loose ball and he's off and running; it's him and Marbury against Garnett on the fast break, as Nate gives it up to Stephon, who tries for the layup but KG just blocks the ever-lovin' shit out of that shot (yeah!) and the ball bounces right to Posey. He gives it to Rondo, who takes it back the other way before passing to Pierce; Paul's immediately double-teamed, so he kicks it out to Posey for another three-point attempt. That misses, but KG grabs the offensive board and he kicks it out to Ray behind the three-point line; his shot also misses (!) and Randolph has the board. Now it's Marbury pushing the ball upcourt, as he passes inside to Lee, who tries to work his way around Posey but shuffles his feet; the refs catch him, andd make the travelling call.
That gives Boston another shot to cut into this deficit, as Doc calls a timeout with 1:18 left. When play resumes, KG ends up being triple-teamed, so he kicks it out to Posey who immediately swings the ball around to Rondo in the corner. Rajon works the baseline to elude Robinson, then finishes with the one-handed dunk over Marbury (87-91 1:10); hell yeah baby!
As we get to under a minute left in the game, Crawford tries for the jumper from the top of the key ... it misses (yes!), but Lee reaches up over Pierce and grabs the offensive rebound (no!), and now the Knicks have a chance to work the clock down a little. The shot clock is down to five when Randolph tries to work his way around Garnett, but misses the shot, and Pierce comes away with the rebound as we're down to just 23.7 seconds remaining. He takes the ball upcourt himself, and quickly tries the pullup jumper over Marbury, but the shot is wide of the mark and Randolph gets the rebound. Rondo immediately fouls him, and Zach makes both of his free throws (87-93 :14.6).
I can't believe I'm eating crow because of the friggin' Knicks ... After a timeout, Ray inbounds to KG, who tries to get the ball to Pierce but Randolph picks that off (argh, like a knife through my heart!) and Kevin is forced to foul him (that's his sixth foul) and Zach makes one-of-two from the line (87-94 :09.7).
Time to raise the white flag, as Just Pruitt, Snifter of Brandon Wallace, and Jackie Chan-uel come into the game ... Pruitt misses a three-pointer as the final buzzer sounds, and I let it sink in that the Knicks have prevailed 87 to 94; it's not a good feeling.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 87, New York 94
GAME RATING:
4
MARSHMALLOW
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 29 PTS (8-20 FG, 12-13 FT), 8 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
- Garnett: 17 PTS (6-10 FG), 10 REB, 5 BLK, 5 TO
- R. Allen: 41 MIN, 12 PTS (3-13 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 5 REB, 3 AST, 3 TO
- Rondo: 10 PTS (4-8 FG), 6 REB, 2 STL, 1 AST, 2 TO
- Posey: 9 PTS (3-7 FG), 6 REB, 2 BLK
- Randolph: 23 PTS (7-15 FG, 9-12 FT), 6 REB, 5 STL
- N. Robinson: 20 PTS (8-13 FG), 9 REB, 4 AST
- Lee: 13 PTS (5-9 FG), 14 REB (6 OFF)
- Marbury: 15 PTS (5-14 FG), 5 REB, 4 TO
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Celts had another poor shooting night (28-77 FG), and were outrebounded by eighteen (47 to 65)!
- The bench combined for just six points in the first half; that total was up to seven with 7:39 remaining in the game (garbage time helped them finish with 14 points total).
- Pierce scored 18 of Boston's 26 points in the third quarter.
- Leon Powe's numbers for tonight weren't fancy (5 PTS, 2-7 FG, 4 REB) but he did sacrifice his body to take a lot of charges ... and that's just what Heinsohn's looking for in his Tommy Award winners.
- Allan Houston Rockets ended his comeback attempt with the Knicks earlier this week; you'll remember that the only game he played in was against Boston.
- During the pregame show, Gary and Donny were going over the Celtics' three-point shooting (or lack thereof) during their game against Philadelphia, and the graphic on the screen read "4 OF 24 (16.7%) IN LOSS TO KNICKS" ... Coincidence, or evil premonition? For the record, Boston shot slightly better tonight (5-for-24 3PTers).
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