Parquet Wishes and Leprechaun Dreams

Friday, November 30, 2007

Recap: Game 12 (at Charlotte)

BOSTON CELTICS AT CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

November 24, 2007
7:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Charlotte, NC)
Announcers
: Mike An-Gorman-agement 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, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Bobcats Starting Lineup: Jason "Sensation" Richardson, Everybody Loves Raymond Felton, Pasta Primoz-Vera Brezec, Jared "Subway" Dudley, Emeka Lekka Hi Mekka Hiney Okafor

The glitz and glamour was evident last night against the Los Angeles Lakers ... yes, the eyes of Hollywood were on the Celtics, but now the team has to come back down to Earth and maintain their focus against a scrappy young Charlotte club.

FIRST QUARTER

Felton makes a nice pass inside to Dudley (in the first starting assignment of his pro career) for the layup to open the quarter; at the other end, Rondo misses the shot and Okafor comes away with the rebound. He gives the ball to Felton, who tries to make a fullcourt bounce pass (hmm) to Richardson underneath the basket, but it gets ahead of him and bounces right out of bounds. That gives Boston back possession, and Pierce makes the quick move around Dudley and goes in for the layup (2-all 10:53).

Dudley answers with the outside jumper (this rookie has come to play tonight), then Pierce tries the fallaway "jay" over young Chris but comes up short; Richardson snares the rebound and takes it upcourt himself, where he finds Felton who passes right back to Jason and he pulls up for the 15-footer. The shot clanks off the side of the rim, however Dudley comes away with the offensive board and kicks it out to Felton, who quickly passes inside to Okafor.

He's covered by Perkins, so he passes to Richardson; Kendrick switches off to keep an eye on him, so Jason feeds the ball right back inside to Emeka. He goes for the hook shot, but KG flies into the picture and rejects the shot big time (his hand made a nice "SMACK" sound when it connected with the ball); Felton collects the loose ball, but has to hoist up an off-balance three-point attempt to beat the shot clock. That misses, and Perk grabs the rebound; he passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Ray standing at the free-throw line, where he pulls up and buries the jumper (4-all 9:27).

With 9:15 to go in the quarter, Perk is whistled for the defensive three-second violation; Felton makes the free throw to put Charlotte back ahead, as the Bobcats retain possession. However, Felton tries the deep three-point attempt over Rondo and the shot bounces off the rim and out of bounds; now Boston takes back control, and Garnett hits the fallaway jumper over Okafor (6-5 8:47).

Richardson then misses the outside shot, but Dudley gets another offensive board and kicks it out to Felton, who drives down the lane and is bumped by Rondo while taking the shot. The ball rolls in and out of the rim (oooh, that was close), so that means two free throw attempts for Raymond and he proceeds to make both of them (6-7 8:22).

At the other end, Allen misses the three-point attempt, but Rondo goes up high for the offensive rebound (nice work from your point guard if you can get it); he tries to score on the putback, but comes up short and Dudley grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Richardson, who passes inside to Okafor but he misses the shot (that's the sixth straight miss for Charlotte). However, Brezec grabs the offensive board and lays it in (6-9 7:34).

A jumper by Allen (Boston is now 4-for-8 from the floor) cuts the deficit to one, then Brezec is called for travelling to give the Celts back possession; KG backrims the shot over Okafor, but Ray secures the offensive rebound and tries for the pullup jumper. That too misses, and Okafor comes away with the loose 'bound, passing to Felton who dribbles upcourt before giving the ball back to a hustling Emeka for the two-hand slam (8-11 6:08).

The Bobcats are in a groove right now, as Brezec blocks a layup attempt by Perkins; Felton grabs the loose ball and goes coast to coast before taking it inside for the layup attempt which is goaltended by Garnett (8-13 5:42) ... Kevin answers with the basket to get Boston within three, then Felton misses the outside jumper and Pierce grabs the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who quickly brings the ball upcourt, then gives it back to Paul and he swings it around to KG for the open jumper (12-13 4:51).

At the other end, Richardson comes up short on the jumpshot, and Ray corrals the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who takes it back the other way, and then passes inside to Perkins; he backs down Okafor before throwing in the hook shot (14-13 4:13).

Okafor then misses and Ray grabs the loose rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, where he finds Pierce in the corner. With Dudley covering him, Paul takes a step back and knocks down the pullup jumper (16-13 3:40); not bad, as the Celts are now shooting 53 percent from the field (8-15 FG).

A basket by Felton (the Bobcats, meanwhile, are shooting 6-for-15) cuts the lead to just one, then Pierce misses the three-point attempt and Richardson grabs the rebound. He takes it back the other way, and goes all the way in against Allen for the layup (16-17 2:49).

Ray tries to answer, but misses the three-point attempt; however, Perk pulls down the offensive board and is fouled by Brezec trying to score on the putback. That puts Kendrick at the line with 2:30 on the clock, and Scotty 2 Hotty comes into the game to give KG the early rest. Meanwhile, Perkins makes one-of-two from the line to tie the score at 17 apiece.

Charlotte tries to take back the advantage, but Okafor mishandles the pass from Felton and the ball goes out of bounds. That gives Boston back possession at the 2:14 mark, and during the stoppage of play Parker Posey comes in to replace Perk ... However, the C's can't capitalize as Jeff McInnis To Winnis blocks the shot by Allen out of bounds. Boston gets another chance at it, but Pierce misses the jumpshot and Matt "Christmas" Carroll controls the rebound.

He passes to McInnis, who dribbles upcourt, but Posey knocks the ball out of his hands and out of bounds; it's still Bobcats' ball, but Carroll isn't aware of the time and the shot clock goes off before he can take the shot. Boston regains possession, and Posey is left open for the three-pointer (20-17 1:15).

Carroll answers with the jumper, then at the other end Rondo passes inside to Pollard; he gives the upfake to get Brezec off his feet, and absorbs the contact to draw the foul. That puts Scotty at the line, where he makes one-of-two from the line (21-19 :37.1).

Unfortunately, Brezec is left wide open for the dunk just before the buzzer sounds, so we end the quarter tied up at 23 apiece.

SECOND QUARTER

The Scals of Justice, Hugh Laurie, Tony, Pollard, and Posey are in to start the quarter ... A layup by Scals off the nice pass from House puts Boston ahead with 9:36 on the clock.

Super Jermareo Davidson then misses the shot, but Carroll controls the offensive rebound and dishes it out to McInnis, who tries to get it back inside to Matt but Allen slaps the ball out of his hands and out of bounds with three seconds left on the shot clock.

Felton (back into the game during the stoppage of play) is forced to take a quick shot which misses, and Pollard snares the board ... At the other end, Tony takes it hard to the bucket and draws the contact from Davidson, so that puts him at the line where he makes both foul shots (31-27 8:45).

However, Okafor immediately answers with the basket over Pollard, plus he is fouled (whoops). He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (31-30 8:32).

House misses a three-point attempt, and Dudley scores the loose rebound; he passes upcourt to Felton, who gets the ball inside to Okafor. The defense collapses on him, so Emeka kicks it right back out to Raymond open behind the three-point line; his shot misses, but Posey and House end up fighting each other for the rebound, causing the ball to bounce harmlessly out of bounds with 8:02 on the clock.

Garnett and Pierce come back into the game (replacing Pollard and Allen) as it's still Bobcats' ball ... However, KG blocks the shot by Okafor and Posey comes away with the loose ball. He gets it upcourt to House, and he passes back to Posey but he misses the outside shot. Scals tries to go up for the putback dunk (!) but misses and Felton pulls down the loose rebound; we head back the other way, as Richardson ends up knocking down the three-pointer (31-33 7:15)!

Two free throws by Dudley make it a four-point Charlotte lead, then Scals misses the three-point shot but Rondo sneaks in for the offensive board (nice). He gets the ball to Pierce, who makes the bullet pass inside to Posey ... however, he can't score on the reverse layup, and Okafor gets the rebound. He passes to Felton, who dribbles coast to coast and takes it all the way in for the layup (31-37 6:11); damn, that was too easy.

Glenn Rivers M.D. calls a timeout, and when play resumes Perk and Ray are back in game ... however, that doesn't help Boston's offensive woes, as Pierce misses the layup attempt (!) and Dudley grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Felton, who finds Davidson in the corner but he can't knock down the jumpshot.

KG collects the carom, then gets it to Ray, who takes it the other way and pulls up for the 15-footer ... That's wide of the mark (Boston is 1-for-9 from the field in the quarter thus far), and Richardson comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then finds Felton alone for another three-pointer (31-40 5:10).

Things are not looking good, as KG misses the turnaround jumper ... However, he grabs his own rebound and finishes with the LOUD one-hand slam (there was some anger behind that dunk)! Emeka tried to stop him, but just ends up being called for the foul, so Kevin steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (34-40 4:49).

That might rile up the troops, as Davidson is called for the three-second violation at the other end; Boston regains possession, as Garnett passes inside to Perkins who is covered by Okafor. Perk goes for the hook shot, which misses, but Emeka fouls Pierce going for the loose rebound. That's his third, so Brezec comes back onto the floor to replace him ... Meanwhile, Charlotte is over the limit, so Paul takes his place at the line and sinks both foul shots (36-40 4:17).

Dudley misses the jumpshot (the Bobcats are shooting 16-for-33 tonight) and KG grabs the rebound (his fourth). He gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, where he passes to Pierce, who gives the upfake to elude Dudley and then takes it inside to the rim. That draws the foul on Davidson (his third), so Paul adds two more free throws to his resume to get the Celts back within two (38-40 3:24).

Richardson hits the pullup jumper to quell Boston's little mini-surge, then Pierce gets slapped across the arms by Dudley going for the shot but no foul is called (the C's are now 12-for-35 shooting from the field). Felton picks up the loose ball and takes it back the other way, where he finds Richardson for the three-pointer (38-45 2:39); that's 12 points now for Jason.

Perk is then called for the offensive foul setting a screen on Walter Herrmann-Munster, so Charlotte regains possession ... However, Richardson can't connect on the shot and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then drives down the lane into Dudley where he draws the foul while scoring the basket (Heinsohn says that was a makeup call for the previous possession). That gives Paul a chance for the three-point play with 1:48 left in the quarter; he misses the free throw, but Brezec fouls KG going for the rebound. Thus, Kevin makes a trip to the charity strip, and makes both of his foul shots (42-45 1:46).

Now the Celts have a little momentum going again, as Dudley bricks the outside shot and Garnett grabs the rebound, which he follows up by making the fullcourt pass to a hustling Rondo for the layup (44-45 1:23)! Herrmann then misses the three-point attempt, and Rondo snares the loose board; he takes it upcourt and finds Pierce in the corner, who fakes taking a three-pointer but instead passes inside to KG for the open layup (46-45 :57.5)!

Great play, as Kevin is having a big night thus far (13 PTS, 5 REB) ... Unfortunately, Dudley ruins things by taking it to the hoop against KG to draw the foul while scoring the layup (dang). He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (46-48 :48.6).

Rondo and Hermann trade baskets, then Rajon loses the ball out of bounds and Charlotte regains possession with 17.4 ticks remaining ... The Bobcats go for the final possession, as Felton finds Richardson in the corner where he buries the off-balance three-pointer (48-53 :01.8)! That's 15 points for Jason, as he's the game's high scorer.

Celts can't get a shot off, so they trail at the half 48 to 53.

THIRD QUARTER

Perk scores a layup to open the second half, then Okafor misses the shot and Garnett controls the rebound. He gives it to Rondo, who takes it upcourt, then gives it back to KG; he tries to shoot over Felton, but comes up short and Okafor grabs the board.

At the other end, Brezec's shot bounces in and out of the rim, and Pierce pulls down the rebound; he takes it coast to coast and tries to score over Richardson, but comes up short and Jason comes away with the board. He takes it back the other way, and makes the bounce pass inside to Okafor with Garnett covering him. Not only does he still score the layup, but the refs also whistle Kevin for the foul, and Emeka adds the free throw to complete the three-point play (50-56 10:47).

Perkins throws in a hook shot over Okafor (7 PTS, 3-5 FG) to get Boston back within four, then Emeka misses the outside jumper and KG corrals the loose rebound. However, he tries to make the quick outlet pass to Pierce, and the ball goes sailing out of bounds for the turnover. That gives Charlotte back possession, as Felton drives down the lane for the layup attempt; that misses, but Okafor is there for the offensive board and is fouled by Pierce trying to score on the putback. That puts him at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (52-57 9:46).

KG answers with the bucket, while at the other end Dudley steps out of bounds ... It's Celtics' ball with a chance to edge closer, as Pierce takes it into the paint and tries to pass to Perk, but Okafor slaps the ball into the sidelines. It's still Boston possession with just five seconds left on the shot clock, so Rondo inbounds to Ray who misses the quick jumper, but little Rajon comes away with the offensive rebound.

He gives the ball to KG, who makes the nice pass inside to Pierce cutting down the lane for the layup (56-57 8:44) ... That's the third assists for Garnett, but Boston as a team only has nine assists total for the game thus far (not good).

Felton then loses the ball out of bounds for another turnover ... The Celts regain possession, and Ray knocks down the outside jumper (58-57 8:16); he's just 3-for-10 from the field but Boston has retaken the lead so it's all good.

Richardson then comes up short on the jumpshot, but Brezec grabs the offensive rebound and is fouled by Perk while scoring the layup (dammit!). That puts Primoz at the line, where he makes the free throw to put Charlotte back up by two (58-60 7:56).

KG buries the outside shot (17 PTS, 7-11 FG) to tie the game, then Okafor hits the pullup jumper in the lane over Perkins (60-62 7:24).

Ray answers with a three-pointer (15 PTS, 5-11 FG) to put Boston back ahead, but at the other end Emeka misses the hook shot over Perk and gets his own rebound before scoring with the layup (63-64 6:50).

Perk then misses and Brezec controls the rebound; he gets it to Felton, who dribbles upcourt before passing back to Primoz, but KG strips him and Rondo picks up the loose ball ... He takes it back the other way, and dishes the ball to Pierce, who sees Garnett hustling up the floor so he throws him the alleyoop pass for the dunk (65-64 6:19)!

Felton then tries to make the spin move around Rondo, but just trips over his own two feet and loses the ball out of bounds ... That's Charlotte's tenth turnover, as Pierce backs down Richardson in the paint and tries for the turnaround jumper. He comes up with an airball (!), but luckily Okafor tips the loose rebound out of bounds.

Boston retains possession, but Ray misses the three-point attempt, and Felton winds up with the carom ... We head back the other way, where Richardson takes it in against Posey (who just returned to the game to replace Perkins), and James gives the foul. That puts Jason at the line, where he makes both free throws to regain the lead for the Bobcats (65-66 5:01).

Posey tries to make up for things with the three-point shot, but it's wide of the mark and Richardson is up high for the rebound. He gets the ball to Felton, who tries to pass inside to Okafor, but Garnett knocks it away and Pierce winds up with the loose ball ... Paul ends up sending the bullet pass inside to Posey, who scores on the layup while being fouled by Davidson; he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (68-66 4:27).

Carroll then draws the foul on Pierce with an upfake (Paul doesn't agree with the call, as Gorman describes his reaction as "mystified") ... Hmm, that puts Matt at the line, where he makes both foul shots to again tie the score (68-all 4:14).

Pierce and Felton trade baskets, then Davidson is whistled for the defensive three-second violation; Ray makes the free throw to put Boston back up by one, as the Celtics retain possession with a chance to extend it further ... Unfortunately, Pierce has his shot attempt blocked by Okafor, and Felton comes away with the loose ball. He quickly gets it upcourt to McInnis, who swings the ball back around to Raymond and he scores on the pullup jumper over the outstretched hand of Allen (71-72 2:40).

Pierce is then called for travelling (Boston's seventh turnover), and Richardson makes the Celts pay by nailing another trey (71-75 2:11); hey, that rhymes ... KG answers with the finger-roll, then Okafor misses the shot and Garnett comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Posey spotting up in the corner and he buries a three-pointer of his own (76-75 1:33)!

Felton tries to score quickly with the jumpshot over Rondo, but that's no good and House gets the rebound. He gets the ball to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and finds Ray in the paint, but he mishandles the pass for the turnover ... The Bobcats regain possession, and a foul is called on KG away from the ball trying to keep Okafor out of the paint; Boston is now over the limit, so Emeka steps to the line with 44.3 seconds remaining and proceeds to miss both free throws!

That's a lucky break, as Kevin secures the rebound and passes upcourt to Rondo, who kicks it out to House and he tries to force the pass inside to Garnett ... However, Dudley slaps it away and the ball ends up going off KG out of bounds (not such a lucky break there).

So, Charlotte has the ball with 14.4 seconds left on the clock, with a chance to go into the fourth with the lead ... McInnis is able to lose House off the dribble and gets a good look at the basket, but his jumpshot comes up empty (whew!) meaning that Boston still leads by one (76-75) heading into the final stanza.

FOURTH QUARTER

Pollard blocks a layup attempt by Dudley to force the shot clock violation in the opening possession of the quarter (yeah, let's get those defensive juices flowing early!). That gives the Celtics the opportunity to strike first, as Ray makes a nice pass inside to Scotty for the layup ... or rather, it SHOULD have been for a layup, as Okafor takes it off the glass for the obvious goaltending violation.

However, the refs (apparently) don't see it, as no call is made and the ball winds up going out of bounds. It's still Celtics' ball, but Ray misses the outside jumpshot and McInnis comes away with the rebound (great, so we were just screwed out of a basket).

Charlotte can't capitalize on the gift that the referees have bestowed upon them, as Felton misses the pullup "jay" (thanks to Allen getting up in his face on defense) and Rajon takes down the loose board ... Unfortunately, House fails to connect on his shot at the other end, as Dudley rebounds the mmiss and passes to McInnis, who takes it upcourt and finds Carroll for the three-pointer (76-78 10:37); shit, that's a five-point swing all thanks to a lousy call by the refs. Someone must be trying to cover the spread.

A layup by Dudley makes it a four-point deficit with 9:40 left on the clock, but House answers with the sweet no-look pass inside to Posey who scores on the layup of his own (80-82 9:25).

Dudley then sets a pick on Ray, leaving Richardson wide open to knock down another trey (Charlotte is now 7-for-10 from three-point land) ... However, at the other end, Ray drives down the lane to get Jason's attention on defense, leaving Pierce wide open for the retaliatory three-ball (83-85 8:39)!

However, it won't be that easy, as McInnis answers with a basket to get the Bobcats' lead back up to four. Posey then tries the turnaround jumpshot over Dudley; it misses, but Brezec fouls Pollard going for the rebound with (low-flying) 7:47 left in the game ... Doc takes the opportunity to sub Garnett back in (replacing Scotty). When play resumes, Pierce makes the nice bounce pass inside to KG who - all rested and relaxed - is able to throw down the monster one handed dunk (85-87 7:42).

Jared then misses, and House grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt and passes inside to Garnett; the Charlotte defense immediately collapses around him (he's got these guys scared now), so Kevin kicks it out to an open Posey for the three-point basket (88-87 7:08)!

After a Bobcats timeout, Dudley passes the ball to Richardson, but is called for the offensive foul setting the screen on Pierce! That gives Boston back possession, but House can't capitalize as he misses the pullup jumper over McInnis and Richardson comes down with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself and goes for the turnaround "jay" over Pierce; that misses, and Dudley fouls Posey going for the rebound.

Celts have another chance to extend their lead, but KG is whistled for the offensive foul trying to set up position in the paint against Okafor ... That's his third foul, as he lets out an audible "Shit!" in the referee's direction; careful Kevin, we don't need you adding a technical foul here!

Luckily, the refs don't call anything (guess they didn't hear him), but it's still Charlotte's possession ... Felton tries to make the crosscourt pass to Dudley, however House snatches it away and gets the ball upcourt to Pierce, who is fouled by McInnis to prevent the easy basket. That puts Paul at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (89-87 5:48).

Richardson hits yet another trey (yikes) to put the Bobcats back ahead, while at the other end Pierce's pass inside to KG is too strong and sails out of bounds. That gives Charlotte back possession, but Felton spends a little too much time dribbling before giving the ball to Richardson in the corner. That gives Pierce and Garnett plenty of time to surround Jason and block off any chance for escape; with the shot clock winding down, he's forced to take the deep jumpshot right before the buzzer sounds ... and wouldn't you know it, he banks that sucker in (89-92 4:33)!

Unbelievable shot, as Boston calls a timeout ... When play resumes, Felton is being a little too aggressive defensively while guarding Ray, as the refs whistle him for the foul. Charlotte is now over the limit, so that puts Allen at the line where he makes both free throws (91-92 4:24).

At the other end, Ray shows Raymond the correct way to play aggressive defense, as he slaps the ball cleanly out of his hands; Pierce picks it up and takes it back the other way, where he's bumped by Felton while scoring the layup (I guess Raymond will never learn). That puts Paul at the line with 4:02 left in the game, but he misses the free throw (dammit!) and Okafor hauls away the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to McInnis, who's covered by House but still manages to bury the jumper (93-94 3:35).

Celts look rattled, as Pierce has his layup attempt blocked by Okafor (ouch) and McInnis is able to collect the loose ball. He takes it back the other way, passing to Felton who finds Okafor underneath the basket. He's covered by KG, so he kicks it back out to Raymond, who misses the three-point attempt but Dudley grabs the offensive board and calls timeout with 2:22 on the clock.

When play resumes, Rondo is back into the game in place of House ... However, Felton takes it right at Rajon to draw the foul, earning himself a trip to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (93-95 2:06).

Posey then backrims a three-point attempt (not a very good shot) and Okafor controls the rebound. He passes to McInnis, but he takes his time bringing the ball up the floor and is whistled for the rare 8-second violation! Wow, I'm shocked, as Boston regains possession and Rondo tries to make the bounce pass inside to KG ... However, Kevin can't get to it and the ball sails out of bounds.

A wasted opportunity there, as Charlotte calls for another timeout with 1:12 remaining in the game. When play resumes, Felton drives down the lane and tries to take it in against Garnett, but KG bothers the shot to cause the miss and Rondo collects the rebound. He takes the ball upcourt, then passes to Pierce who goes for the quick three-point attempt that doesn't find the mark (hmm).

Dudley grabs the rebound and passes to Felton; he dribbles up the floor as Doc is telling his players not to foul, so Raymond tries to take some time off the clock before passing inside to Okafor. However, Emeka fumbles it away, and there's a mad scrum on the floor to try and get the loose ball ... The shot clock goes off with neither team having possession, so that's a turnover in Boston's favor.

That means that the Celts have a chance to tie or go ahead with just 16.6 seconds on the clock ... Doc has his shooters on the floor (Ray, KG, Pierce, Posey and House), as Allen inbounds the ball to Paul. He swings the ball around to House, who passes back to Pierce standing at the free throw line (with Richardson all over him). He still tries for the fallaway jumpshot, but frontrims it and Felton comes away with the rebound.

Aw crap, Ray has to grab him as things are looking bleak ... However, Boston is not yet over the limit, so Charlotte has to inbound the ball rather than go to the free-throw line.

So, with seconds left on the clock, all Richardson has to do is inbound the ball so that the Celts are forced to foul ... He tries to get it to McInnis, but House gets a hand on the pass (!) and Pierce grabs the loose ball; he kicks it out to an open Ray Allen (!!) who buries the three-pointer at the buzzer!!! Holy shit!!!!

The Celtics bench is out on the floor mobbing Allen, as the Bobcats players have pretty much collapsed in a collective heap ... The refs still have to review the shot, but there's no chance they take that basket away (replays clearly show that the red lights around the backboard went off after the shot had already gone in).

Sure enough, the basket counts, and the Celts escape with the improbable 96-95 victory ... I do believe in miracles!

FINAL SCORE: Boston 96, Charlotte 95

GAME RATING:


10
PULLING A WIGGUM


BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Pierce: 38 MIN, 23 PTS (8-19 FG), 7 AST, 4 REB
  • Garnett: 37 MIN, 23 PTS (10-15 FG), 11 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK, 2 STL
  • R. Allen: 41 MIN, 14 PTS (4-15 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 5 AST, 4 REB
  • Posey: 28 MIN, 14 PTS (5-10 FG)
  • Rondo: 34 MIN, 6 PTS (3-5 FG), 7 REB, 3 AST, 3 TO
CHARLOTTE TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Richardson: 35 MIN, 25 PTS (9-17 FG, 5-5 3PTers), 9 REB, 5 AST
  • Felton: 39 MIN, 18 PTS (6-17 FG), 9 AST
  • Okafor: 37 MIN, 15 PTS (6-13 FG), 9 REB, 4 BLK
TONIGHT'S COG (CELT OF THE GAME): Kevin Garnett

POST-GAME NOTES:
  • Geraldo Wallace was announced as being part of the starting lineup mere moments before the start of the game, but ended up not playing at all (strained calf).
  • Speaking of injuries, Tony Allen sat out the second half, suffering a right thigh bruise during the first-half action.
  • An irregular night at the defensive end for Boston, as they allowed the Bobcats to shoot nearly 50 percent from the floor (36-74 FG). The Celts, meanwhile, were down around 44 percent (34-78 FG).
  • It should come as no surprise that Ray Allen was the Tommy Award winner ...

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