October 23, 2007
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
IZOD Center (East Rutherford, NJ)
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: Allan Tony, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels, The Scals of Justice, Parker Posey
Nets Starting Lineup: Vindifference, Eddie Gillbert, Jason Collins All Cars, Krstic the Clown, Richard Jefferson Airplane
Okay, we're gonna take another crack at playing a Celtics-Nets preseason ... but don't be surprised if raw sewage starts dripping out of the arena walls or something crazy like that (hey, it is Jersey, after all).
Speaking of the "Debacle at the DCU Center" (a subject which I just can't seem to let go of), you might remember that New Jersey initially left three of their four starters at home - although we can excuse Captain Kidd as he's still not playing due to back issues ... well, it's time for Boston to return the favor, as the entire "Not Big Three" are going to sit this one out (and Perk'd Off is also being given the night off once again).
So there. We're even.
FIRST QUARTER
Collins is able to best Powe in the opening tip-off, and gets the ball to Gill; he passes to Carter, who swings it around to Krstic. Nenad misses on the jumpshot, and it's Leon with the first rebound of the night; he gives it to Rondo, who takes things the other way, and blows by Gill for the layup attempt. However, his shot is blocked by Collins, and Krstic recovers the loose ball. He passes upcourt to Gill, who eventually gets it inside to Collins, and the big man tries to back down Scalabrine but Tony is able to knock the ball out of his hands. That starts the Celtics fast break, but Allen ends up losing control of the ball; Jefferson picks it up and passes to Collins at the top of the key, who gives it to Vince and he tries to make a quick pass to Jefferson cutting underneath the basket. However, it's out of his reach and the ball sails out of bounds.
Sloppy stuff to begin the game, as Allen and Carter both miss three-piont attempts, then Rondo makes a lazy pass that Gill easily swats away (that's Boston's third turnover in just a little over two minutes); Jefferson picks up the loose ball and gets it up ahead to Vince, who eludes Tony and takes it strong to the hoop for the layup, plus he's fouled by Scalabrine and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (0-3 9:41) ... Posey knocks down a three-pointer to quickly tie the game back up, but at the other end Krstic throws down the little hook shot over Powe (3-5 8:43).
Scals buries a trey of his own with 7:46 remaining to give the Celts their first lead, then Gill makes a bad pass intended for Collins, but Carter is in the right spot to recover the ball; he passes inside to Krstic, who is covered nicely by Scals, so he gives it to Collins who dutifully swings it out to Jefferson. Now, even though Richard is about two feet behind the three-point line, Posey doesn't immediately get up in his face on defense, so he just launches it and it hits nothing but net (6-8 7:23)!
Rondo then tries to get a bounce pass inside to Powe, but Carter slaps it away and Gill picks up the loose ball. He quickly gets it to Jefferson, who is hustling up the court and has only Scalabrine to beat, which he does easily and finishes with the one-handed dunk (6-10 7:02).
Allen responds by throwing up an airball (yikes); Collins snares the rebound and passes upcourt to Jefferson, who finds Krstic in the paint guarded by Powe, whom he backs down and scores on with the turnaround jumper (6-12 6:26).
Glenn Rivers M.D. has seen enough, and calls a timeout; when play resumes, Allen tries to take it inside over Carter, but misses the shot. Powe is in position for the offensive rebound, though, and is fouled by Vince trying to score on the putback. That's Carter's second foul, as Leon goes to the line with 6:15 remaining but misses both free throws! Hmm, I'm getting a little concerned ...
Gill buries the three-pointer to get the deficit up to nine, but at the other end Scalabrine hits the pullup jumper over Collins (8-15 4:41). Krstic then tries to back down Powe, and Leon is called for the foul (that's his third) with 4:22 on the clock, as Hugh Laurie and Glen "Macrosomia" Davis come into the game (Rondo and Powe take a seat).
Meanwhile, Jefferson tries to get fancy and make a behind-the-back pass inside to Collins, but Davis sets his feet and takes the charge (nice one, rookie). Boston regains possession, and Posey gets the ball to Allen in the corner, as he works the baseline around Josh Boone and Crockett Club and finishes with the explosive dunk over Jefferson (10-15 3:57)! Oh that is so nice to see!
At the other end, Jefferson uses some fancy dribbling to get around Tony, but Scals gets in his way and forces him to take the pullup jumper that doesn't even touch the rim. However, Boone is in perfect position to get the loose ball and lays it in to put New Jersey up by seven. Scalabrine then makes a move to the basket and gets both Boone and Jamaal MaglorieHole in the air with the upfake (nice), so he passes to Davis who is all alone underneath the basket; Jefferson reaches out in a vain attempt to try and stop him, but Glen scores the layup anyway, plus that draws the foul and "Big Baby" adds the free throw to complete the three-point play (13-17 3:19).
Antoine "Time to" Wright kisses a shot off the glass with 25.4 seconds remaining in the quarter to extend the Nets' lead back up to six. The Celtics then hold for the final shot, and House tries to pull up over Wright, but the shot misses; Boone beats Scals to the rebound, and gets the ball to Carter with 5.6 ticks left on the clock. He quickly tries to get into position for the final shot, but Tony steals the ball at halfcourt and is all by himself ... but there's not enough time left, so he's forced to heave up the running jumper from just inside the three-point line, and hits nothing but air.
That's how the quarter ends, with Boston trailing 19 to 25.
SECOND QUARTER
Davis scores on the layup over Bostjan Snackbar to open the quarter, but at the other end he's called for two fouls in the span of about five seconds (one of those was a rather poor acting job by Vince). Those are his first two fouls of the night, though, so Doc keeps him in the game ... and it's a good thing too, because the Nets get the ball to Magliore to try and coax that third foul out of Glen, but as he tries to take it inside Davis reaches in and slaps the ball out of his hands! Allen collects the loose ball and takes it coast to coast for the layup attempt, but comes up short; luckily, the loose rebound goes off Wright out of bounds, so Boston retains possession and Allen again takes it to the rack against two big men (Nachbar and Magliore). This time he draws the foul on Jamaal (his third) and makes both free throws to get the C's within two (23-25 10:55).
Carter then tries to make the no-look pass inside to Boone, but Allen knocks it away and Scals comes away with the loose ball; he gives it back to Tony, who takes it back the other way, but (away from the ball) Davis is hustling up the floor and - apparently - doesn't see Carter standing at the free throw line waiting for him. Sure enough, Vince absorbs the contact and nearly flies out of his sneakers! Seriously, VC got some serious hangtime from that collision.
Anyway, the refs whistle Davis for the offensive foul (his third), as the announcers have the following exchange:
Heinsohn: You know how you get people to stop doing that to you?Oh Tommy, that's your answer to everything!
Gorman: Step on their chest ...
Heinsohn: You got it!
Anyway, New Jersey regains possession, but Boone misses the shot and Davis pulls down the rebound; he gets it upcourt to Allen, who blows by Carter (which draws in two defenders) and then lays it back down to Davis for the nice two-handed slam (25-all 9:53).
Vince then throws up the alley-oop to Wright for the dunk to break the tie with 8:59 remaining; at the other end, Dahntay Stop Believing hits the pullup jumper over Nachbar (27-all 8:31).
Wright answers with the trey, then Allen is stripped by Carter on his way to the basket and the ball goes of Tony's knee out of bounds; it's New Jersey possession, and Nachbar makes the bounce pass to Sean "Stifler" Williams for the layup (27-32 7:50).
Davis then grabs the offensive rebound off of the Dahntay miss, but has his putback attempt blocked from behind by Magliore; "Big Baby" (being the trooper that he is) stays with it and grabs the loose ball amongst three defenders, then gets pushed out of bounds and the refs whistle Boone for the foul. It's still Boston possession, but House throws a pass intended for Davis out of bounds; now it's New Jersey ball, when Tony slaps the ball out of Boone's hands as the shot clock is winding down. Gill recovers and is forced to take a three-point attempt; that misses, but Boone grabs the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Gill, who swings the ball around to Williams and he gets it back inside to Boone for the layup (27-34 6:43).
Dahntay is then called for the double dribble (Boston's tenth turnover), and the Nets are back in control as Wright makes a nice pass inside to Boone, but Davis is able to block his shot from behind! However, Wright gets to the loose ball, and tries to make a pass out to Williams; it goes right off Sean's fingertips, and Allen comes away with it. He takes it back the other way, then blows by Gill and tries to finish with the two-hand slam, but is fouled by Wright. He lands awkwardly (although I'm pretty sure that he was just nervous to land rather than actually hurting himself), but makes it to the line and knocks down both foul shots (29-34 5:57).
Rondo then strips Wright of the ball, and Tony is once again in the right spot to pick up the leavings; he puhses it upcourt, but gets a little overzealous and dribbles the ball off his foot. Davis recovers and gets it to House, who passes inside to Tony for the layup attempt, but Boone comes in for the rejection. Nachbar gets the loose ball, and takes it all the way in himself, where he's fouled by Posey and makes both free throws (29-36 5:12).
It's still a seven-point deficit when Allen misses the outside shot, but Davis grabs the offensive rebound and is fouled by Collins; he makes both freebies to help Boston inch closer (33-38 4:17). Posey then steals a bad pass by Gill, and takes it coast to coast for the layup attempt; he's fouled by Krstic as the ball rolls around the rim before finally spinning out (oof!), so James heads for the line and makes boht of his free throws (35-38 4:08).
At the other end, Jefferson tries to work the baseline to avoid Allen, but Davis steps in his path and draws the offensive foul! That gives Boston back possession, and Rondo finds Tony all alone for the three-point basket (38-all 3:30).
It's still tied when Posey misses a three-point attempt of his own, but Rondo goes up high over the much-taller Krstic for the offensive rebound (!) and scores on the putback (41-39 1:38).
Krstic scores, then Rondo is tripped up by Gill while making the move to the basket; that puts Rajon at the line and he misses both free throws, but "Big Baby" nabs the offensive board and kicks it back out to Rondo, who finds Scals for the outside shot (43-41 1:02).
Boston now has 12 assists on 13 made baskets; sweet ... Jefferson misses the final shot, as we enter halftime with the Celtics up 43 to 41.
THIRD QUARTER
At the start of the second half, the Nets commit a 24-second violation (that's the team's 14th turnover); the Celts regain possession, but Scals misses the three-point attempt and Carter pulls down the rebound. He gets it upcourt to Krstic, who tries the high-arching shot (seriously, that ball almost grazed the ceiling) that misses; however, Jefferson grabs the offensive rebound and kicks it back out to Gill. He then passes right back to Richard (who's covered nicely by Posey) who tries to make the crosscourt pass back to Gill while in midair - bad idea - and Powe steps in to take the charge (Heinsohn: "Powe gets the official dirty-pants award!"); that's just wrong.
At the other end, Rondo misses the shot and Collins grabs the rebound; he gives it to Gill, who pushes it upcourt and finds Carter for the trey (43-44 10:15).
Posey is then tripped up by Jefferson (that's little Richard's fifth foul already); Nachbar comes in to replace him, and when play resumes Allen tries to use the crossover move to lose Carter, but Collins jumps out for the double team. Tony tries to kick it back out to Rondo, but Vince gets a hand on the ball and takes it the other way; Rondo is forced to give the foul, and Carter makes both free throws to give New Jersey a three-point advantage (43-46 9:40).
Scalabrine tries a three-pointer that clanks off the rim, and Carter gets the rebound. He gets it to Gill, who launches a three-ball of his own; that too misses, but Krstic snares the offensive board and kicks it out to Nachbar. However, play is then stopped, as Gill had slipped out of bounds after taking the shot and knocked some spectator's beeer onto the court (it's gonna take a lot more beers than that to simulate the DCU Center floor, people) ... Actually, three ball boys are on the scene mopping up and it's taking them several minutes to get things spic and span (Heinsohn: "Someone either wiped the beer up or licked it up"). When play finally resumes, Nachbar misses the outside jumper, and Rondo pulls down the loose board; he motors back up the floor, and takes it right to the hoop before being grabbed by Gill and making both of his free throws (45-46 8:45).
Jefferson comes back into the game as Nachbar buries the trey, then Allen misses and Krstic gets the rebound; we go back the other way, as Carter slices down the lane and has four Celtics surrounding him (!) before the refs whistle Powe for the foul. That puts Vince at the line, and he knocks down both of his foul shots (45-51 7:46) ... It's an eight-point deficit with four and a half minutes remaining, as Allen misses the three-point attempt (Boston is now 0-for-9 in the quarter!). At the other end, Jefferson passes inside to Boone, who tries to score the layup over Posey but Davis comes from behind for another sweet block! Rondo recovers the loose ball, and passes upcourt to a hustling Tony Allen who slices between two defenders but misses the layup!
Things are getting ugly again here, but Scals is in position for the offensive rebound of the Allen miss, then passes back to Tony who is fouled by Wright. Doc takes the opportunity to sub House into the game, but he also leaves Rondo on the floor for the rather short backcourt tandem; when play resumes, Tony is double-teamed, so he makes the nice pass to Posey who finishes with the layup (49-55 3:45) as the Celtics have their first field goal of the quarter (1-11 FG).
Jefferson scores (New Jersey isn't much better as they're 3-for-9 from the field in the quarter), then Boone tries to trap House in the corner, but Eddie throws the bounce pass inside to Davis who makes the nice move to avoid Nachbar and scores on the layup (51-57 3:05) ... With 1:47 remaining, Jefferson tries to score on the little floater in the lane. He misses the shot, but gets tangled up with Davis going for the loose rebound (man, both guys landed awkwardly, but appear to be okay); that's Richard's SIXTH foul already, so he's relegated to the bench for the rest of the night, as Magliore comes in to replace him while Davis steps to the line and makes both free throws (53-57 1:47); "Big Baby" is 9-for-9 from the line thus far!
Wright knocks down the trey with 12 seconds on the clock, as the Celts have a chance to take the last shot. Rondo does some fancy dribbling to lose Wright and goes up for the pullup jumper as the buzzer sounds, but it bounces off the side of the rim, and we head into the final stanza with Boston trailing 53 to 60.
FOURTH QUARTER
The Celtics put Davis, Scals, House, Dahntay, and Allen on the floor to open the quarter ... House buries the jumper to get Boston back within five, then Wright loses the ball for the turnover; Dahntay comes away with it and makes a strong move to the basket. He's fouled by Magliore, and makes one-of-two from the line (56-60 11:05).
Nachbar then misses, and House pulls down the rebound; he takes it upcourt himself, and makes the nice bounce pass inside to "Big Baby". He's immediately double-teamed, so he kicks it back out to Tony, who finds House standing at the free throw line and he buries the jumper (58-60 10:26). On the next possession, Wright has the ball knocked out of his hands by House; Allen recovers and quickly gets it up ahead to Eddie (who just took off as soon as he saw the play developing), who takes it up over Nachbar for the layup (60-all 10:01), and just like that the game is tied!
New Jersey calls a timeout, and when play resumes Wright quickly scores, but at the other end Davis answers by muscling his way past Magliore for the layup (62-all 9:36). Nachbar hits a pullup jumper over Scals to put the Nets back ahead, then House misses the three-point attempt and Scalabrine fouls Nachbar going for the rebound; New Jersey regains possession, and Wright scores the bucket (62-66 8:53).
Uh oh, the momentum is starting to shift, as House makes the nice pass inside to Davis, but Nachbar just does an absolutely piss-poor flop job (replay shows that he just falls backwards before Davis even has a chance to touch him) and the refs fall for it and call the offensive foul; New Jersey gets it back, and Mateeny-Tiny Cleaves scores (62-68 7:54).
Scals is left open and knocks down the deep jumper to get Boston back within four; at the other end, Robert "Go Fly a" Hite misses the three-point attempt and the ball bounces out of bounds. Boston regains possession, and Tony gives the little spin move to leave Hite in the dust; Williams comes over to cover him, so Allen gives the ball to Davis for the easy layup (66-68 6:55).
Tony then steals a bad pass by Nachbar, and is all by himself but blows the dunk (Gorman: "Thought about that one too much"); oh man, that is just brutal. The catcalls come raining down from the crowd as Nachbar collects the loose ball and gets it to Cleaves, who finds Wright in the corner and he drives along the baseline to score on the layup (66-70 6:23).
With 3:59 left in the game, Nachbar is fouled and earns a trip to the free throw line. During the stoppage of play, Dahntay comes in for Davis (we're switching to small ball now, as House, Pruitt and Jackie Chan-uel are all on the floor at the same time and apparently Snifter of Brandon Wallace will be our center, yeesh!); Nachbar makes both free throws to make it a six-point deficit. At the other end, Dahntay takes a bad shot and Nachbar comes away with the loose rebound. He gets the ball to Hite, who pushes things upcourt and finds Cleaves at the top of the key; House backs off him, so Mateen launches the three-point shot and connects (68-77 2:57).
Doc calls a timeout, as that small-ball experiment didn't last long and Davis comes back into the game ... However, House airballs a three-point attempt (Nachbar might have gotten a piece of that) and Wright ends up with the ball. He brings it upcourt, and finds Cleaves for another three-pointer that gets the deficit into double digits (68-80 2:02).
Unfortunately, the team can't bounce back from that, as the Celts drop their third straight preseason game, 71 to 82 ...
FINAL SCORE: Boston 71, New Jersey 82
GAME RATING:
9
PULLING A WIGGUM
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Davis: 21 PTS (6-10 FG, 9-9 FT), 6 REB (4 OFF), 3 BLK
- Scalabrine: 11 PTS (5-11 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 5 REB, 2 AST, 1 BLK
- T. Allen: 10 PTS (2-15 FG, 1-4 3PTers), 9 AST, 6 TO, 6 STL
- House: 10 PTS (5-11 FG, 0-4 3PTers), 2 REB, 2 AST
- Nachbar: 15 PTS (3-8 FG, 8-8 FT), 7 REB
- Wright: 14 PTS (6-8 FG), 4 REB, 4 AST
- Carter: 12 PTS (3-10 FG), 7 AST, 5 REB, 3 STL
- Jefferson: 11 PTS (4-9 FG), 3 REB
TOMMY QUOTES:
- "Big Baby came out of his crib, threw his rattle down, and made the basket!"
- "I hate to say it, but Brandon Wallace is so thin, his pants are falling down!"
- Boston had a fairly decent time shooting in the first half (13-33 FG), but things took a bit of a downturn after that; they finished the night 23-for-70 from the field (32.9 percent). At least they had 20 assists on those 23 made baskets, so the ball movement was there.
- As for the Nets, they shot a little better (28-68 FG), but really made strides from the three-point line (8-17 3PTers); for the record, the Celts had another poor night from behind the line (4-for-21).
- Perkins is still suffering from tightness in the hamstring area, and Doc Rivers says he "will not practice until he's 100 percent"; hmmm.
- The Tommy Award winner for tonight was (not surprisingly) "Big Baby" Glen Davis.
- The NBA may take disciplinary action against Da Troof for the incident during Monday's game against the Knicks where he put his hands on Jamal Crawdaddy after Rayden went down from a (seemingly) hard foul. They also found his comments after the game to be - for lack of a better term - "incriminating" ("I wanted to protect my guy"). While I personally can't see how such a small act would require a fine or possible suspension, replays show that Paul did put his hand on Crawford's face, and the league offices definitely consider that to be a no-no.
- The "Not Big Three" are on the cover of this week's Sports Illustrated "NBA Preview" issue (sportsillustrated.cnn.com). So, that means we're cursed now, right?
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