November 29, 2007
8:00 PM EST (TNT)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Announcers: Marv Albert In a Can, Mike Fratello-Vision and Reggie "Mister Potato Head" Miller ; Evil Ernie Johnson, Omygod You Killed Kenny Smith and Barkley Worse Than His Bite (in-studio) ; Craig Sager-Meister (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Knicks Starting Lineup: Stephonie McMahon, Jamal Crawdaddy, Eddy RiceDish, Quenrintintin Richardson, Zach "Attack" Randolph
While the Knicks continue to be an embarrassment to the city of New York and to the sport of basketball in general, they are going for their third straight win tonight (after victories against Chicago and Utah) ... However, they have yet to win a game on the road (0-6) and the Celts will be looking to get back on the right track after an overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Can Boston deliver the world-class ass-whuppin' tonight that will FINALLY be the last straw that gets Isiah 53:3 his rightful place in the unemployment line? One can only hope ...
FIRST QUARTER
Rondo scores on the layup (after the nice move against Crawford to get to the basket) to open the first quarter; at the other end, Randolph misses the outside jumper and Perkins grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt to Rajon, who passes inside to Garnett, where Zach is forced to foul him to prevent the easy dunk ... It's still Celtics' ball, and Rondo is left open for the 15-foot "jay" (4-0 10:31).
Richardson buries the three-pointer to put New York in the scoring column, then Perk sets the pick to get Marbury off of Allen's back ... That causes Curry to come over to help on defense, so Ray passes to an open Kendrick underneath the basket, and he finishes with the two-hand slam (6-3 9:48)!
Well, we're certainly off to a good start, as Rondo hits another jumper to give Boston the five-point lead ... Perkins then gets the big block on Marbury's layup attempt (sweet); Ray picks up the loose ball and takes it the other way. Crawford sags off him, so Allen pulls up without hesitation and buries the shot (10-3 8:57).
That brings a New York 20-second timeout, and when play resumes Marbury tries to make the move around Rondo (the crowd has booed him everytime he's touched the ball); Rajon is on him step for step, so Stephon makes the bounce pass inside to Curry, where he goes up for the hook shot over Perk but winds up shooting an airball! Wow, the Knicks have missed seven of their first eight field goal attempts to start the game (heh heh) ... Meanwhile, Rondo blows by Crawford and scores on the too-easy layup (12-3 7:40), as the C's are 6-for-9 from the field.
Two free throws by Allen make it a double-digit lead with 7:14 remaining in the quarter, then Randolph tries to score in the paint but throws up another airball (tee hee)! Rondo grabs the "rebound" and makes a fullcourt pass to a hustling Perkins; he goes in for the layup, but Curry blocks the shot from behind (wow). Marbury comes up with the loose ball and takes it back the other way, then passes inside to Eddy for the basket (14-5 6:29).
A jumper by Pierce makes it an 11-point game again, then Marbury is called for the offensive foul trying to take it inside against Rondo ... Boston regains possession, as Garnett is covered by David "General" Lee (just in for Curry) but is still able to bank in the shot (20-7 3:21).
Lee then draws the foul on Perk trying to go for the shot (that was a pretty weak call), sending him to line - The Scals of Justice is immediately off the bench to replace Kendrick - where he makes one of his two free throw attempts (20-8 2:31).
Scalabrine makes the most of his playing time by knocking down the trey (that gets the crowd excited), while at the other end Richardson tries the hook shot over KG but winds up with yet another airball (ha HA)! However, the loose rebound is tipped around before Quentin winds up with the ball again, and he is able to score on the putback (23-10 1:37); still, the Knicks are shooting a paltry 20 percent (4-20 FG) from the floor!
In the closing moments, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis and Parker Posey come into the game (KG and Ray take a seat) ... Randolph scores the bucket (he's just 1-for-8 shooting!) to get New York within eleven, but then Pierce drives down the lane and is hacked by Subway's Jared Jeffries; that puts him at the line, where he makes both foul shots (27-14 :36.0).
Jeffries answers with the jumpshot with 10 seconds left, ending the quarter with the Knicks "only" down eleven (27-16) ... It's a great time at the Garden thus far, as the Knicks couldn't even manage 25-percent shooting from the floor (6-23 FG), while the Celts were up at 50 percent (11-24 FG)!
SECOND QUARTER
Hugh Laurie, Posey, Scals, Pierce, and Davis start the quarter ... However, the bench players don't let up on the intensity level, as James plays some great defense on Renaldo "McDonald" Balkman which causes him to lose his dribble; the ball slips out of his fingers, and "Big Baby" dives to the floor to try and steal it! Not only that, but the ball is knocked to the sideline, and Posey dives over the scorers' table (nearly taking out the Celtics' radio announcers) to try and save it!
You gotta love the hustle, as Balkman was the last to touch it, so the Celtics take control ... Scals misses the shot, but gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out to Pierce. Unfortunately, he can't hit the three-point shot, and Lee grabs the rebound.
He passes to "What's Naters Precious" Robinson, who brings it upcourt before pulling up for the outside shot; he backrims it (New York is now 6-for-25 from the field!) and Scalabrine comes away with the carom. We head back the other way, where Pierce drives down the lane for the layup; the shot misses, but Davis grabs the offensive board and tries to score on the putback.
Going up for the shot, he's hammered by at least three Knicks, but no foul is called (!) and Lee collects the loose ball. He passes to Robinson, who finds Jeffries in the paint ... Davis ends up fouling him with 9:57 on the clock, as Marbury (who started the quarter on the bench due to two fouls) comes back into the game to replace Nate.
Meanwhile, Curry tries to score the hook shot with Scals in his face, but that comes up short and Lee tips the loose rebound out of bounds. That gives the Celts another opportunity to extend their lead, and that's exactly what House does as he buries the three-pointer (30-16 8:40)! Amazingly, that's Boston's first field goal of the quarter (1-7 FG)!
Lee then misses (the Knicks have missed all five of their field goal attempts in the quarter), and Posey grabs the rebound. He passes to House, who brings it upcourt and finds Ray (just back into the game) in the corner. He gives the upfake to get Balkman in the air, then absorbs the contact while banking in the shot, so he heads to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (33-16 8:06).
Marbury scores with 7:46 on the clock to give the Knicks their first points of the quarter, while at the other end House makes the nice pass inside to Davis for the open layup (35-18 7:26) ... Things are going great, as Balkman loses the ball out of bounds (that's New York's fifth turnover compared to zero for Boston); the Celts regain possession, but Posey misses the hook shot over Richardson and Curry pulls down the rebound. He gives it up to Marbury, who dribbles upcourt and tries to make the crosscourt pass to Jeffries; however, House tips it away and Davis ends up with the loose ball. Glen sends it upcourt to Ray, who blows past Crawford for another layup (37-18 6:26)!
New York needs to call another timeout, and when play resumes Marbury clanks the three-point attempt (keep those bricks a-comin'). Posey grabs the rebound, and gets the ball upcourt to House, who passes inside to KG (he's returned to the lineup); Kevin tries to work his way inside against Curry, but instead makes the bullet pass inside to Davis who's all alone for the layup (39-18 5:25)!
Quentin then misses (the Knicks are now 7-for-31 from the floor), and House grabs the rebound ... He heads back the other way, and finds Garnett in the corner, where he makes another pass to Davis underneath the basket. Curry commits the foul, so "Big Baby" is at the line at the 4:55 mark; he makes the first free throw, but misses the second.
However, KG winds up with the offensive rebound ... He has just two points (1-1 FG), but that's his eighth rebound (yowza). He kicks the ball out to House, who's wide open for the three-pointer (43-18 4:52)!
Great stuff, as Pierce (4 PTS, 1-8 FG) and Ray (11 PTS, 4-8 FG) come back into the game with 4:30 remaining in the half ... However, Richardson (who made some interesting comments prior to the game [nypost.com]) throws down the two-hand slam to cap a quick 6-1 Knicks run (44-24 3:22).
Garnett is then fouled by Randolph taking it to the basket; that's Zach's third foul, so Lee comes back into the game to replace him, while Kevin sinks both free throws (46-24 3:02).
Fred Jones Got Fingered and Pierce trade baskets, then Crawford misses the three-point attempt and Paul snares the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes off to Rondo, who dribbles some time off the clock before giving the ball to Allen. He tries to pull up over Jones for the shot, but comes up with an airball (how many of those are we gonna see tonight?) as the shot clock expires.
New York regains possession with 1:41 left in the half (that was actually Boston's first turnover of the game!), as Quentin misses but Davis fouls Lee going for the rebound ... House comes back into the game to replace "Big Baby", as the Celts are over the limit and Lee makes one-of-two from the line (48-27 1:25).
KG then misses (he's now 1-of-4) and Lee controls the rebound; he quickly gets the ball upcourt to Robinson, who slices down the lane between two defenders and scores the layup PLUS draws the foul on House. He steps to the line at the 1:05 mark, but misses the free throw and Lee fouls Pierce going for the rebound ... Now the Knicks are over the limit, so Paul takes his place at the other end of the floor and makes one-of-two foul shots (49-29 1:04).
The Knicks are showing some signs of life, but Lee misses on the reverse dunk (ha HA!) and KG grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to Ray, who takes it upcourt before finding Rondo in the corner; he drives down the lane before kicking it out to Pierce for the open three-pointer (52-29 :40.3) ... So, we head to halftime with Boston up by twenty-three (54-31); Boston is dominating in all areas, limiting the Knicks to 32-percent shooting (13-41 FG) while shooting 45 percent themselves (19-42 FG). They also have 14 assists on those 19 made baskets, compared to just four assists from New York!
THIRD QUARTER
Despite that little mini-run at the end of the second quarter, Barkley really ripped into the Knicks during halftime:
Patrick Ewing is rolling over in his grave ... Man, the Knicks [are] embarrassing. They act like, their body language is like it's the end of the season and they're playing out the string. They got no energy, no emotion, and it's just flat-out embarrassing. They just going through the motions, period!New York, meanwhile, does nothing to disprove his words, as Randolph has his layup attempt blocked by Garnett (he's now shooting 1-for-10!) and Rondo collects the loose ball. He quickly brings it upcourt for the fast break, and makes the bounce pass to Allen who finishes with the layup (56-31 11:15)!
Marbury then tries to force the shot over Rondo and misses, as Zach fouls Pierce going for the rebound; that's his fourth, so Lee comes back in to replace him. When play resumes, Ray makes the pass inside to Perkins cutting down the lane (nice hustle!) where's he's fouled by David, so he heads to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (57-31 10:27).
At the other end, Richardson tries to make the bounce pass inside to Lee, but Pierce picks it off (for the Knicks' eighth turnover) and gets the ball upcourt to Allen; Crawford doesn't bother to cover him, so Ray just pulls up and buries the trey (60-31 10:05)!
This is amazing, as a basket by KG makes it a 31-point lead with nine minutes on the clock. Quentin then airballs a three-point attempt (ha HA!) and Allen comes away with loose ball ... We head back the other way, as Ray finds Pierce spotting up in the corner, where he rises up over Marbury and drains the three-point basket of his own (65-31 8:39)!
Stick a fork in the Knicks, they're done ... Fast forward to 5:39 left in the quarter, when another three-ball by Pierce extends it to a THIRTY-SEVEN point lead; that is not a typo, the score is 72 to 35 (the Knicks have managed only four points in six-plus minutes)!
I am loving this, as Davis misses the shot, but gets his own rebound (the Knicks have nothing right now) and is fouled by Lee; that puts him at the line, where he makes both free throws (74-35 4:57).
Jeffries then scores on the layup, but Paul answers with yet another trey (77-37 4:25)!
It gets better, as Ray buries a three-pointer off the assist from Rondo (his seventh) to make it a 43-point lead (yowza). Nate then brings the ball upcourt (Miller: "Isiah's letting his guys play through, normally you would call timeouts, but when a team goes on a run like this, he's gonna let these guys play it out; that's taking them off the hook if you call timeout!") and passes inside to Curry, who tries for the hook shot over Perk. However, Kendrick gets a piece of it, and Ray recovers the loose ball; he heads back the other way, and drives all the way down the lane for the easy layup (82-37 2:59).
Thomas finally takes pity and calls for time, as Glenn Rivers M.D. empties his bench and puts in Scals, House, and Posey (Pierce and Allen take a seat and probably won't be back) ... The quarter ends with Boston up handily, 82 to 41. Weee!
FOURTH QUARTER
Posey, Scals, House, Davis, and Just Pruitt (welcome back, rook!) start the final quarter, as I expect TNT to cut to an episode of "The Closer" (tnt.tv) at any moment ... Robinson knocks down the jumper, but House answers with the bullet pass inside to Scalabrine, who then gives the extra pass to Davis (UNSELFISH!) for the easy layup (84-43 10:52); the Celts now have 23 assists on 29 made baskets!
Let's keep piling it on boys, as Davis is fouled by Jeffries (after rebounding a missed three-point attempt from Pruitt) and makes one of his free throws to extend it to a 42-point lead (wowsers). At the other end, War of the Malik Roses misses the hook shot over Scals, and House grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to Pruitt, who dribbles upcourt, then passes back to Eddie who pulls up for the three-point shot and nails it (88-43 9:36).
Balkman then comes up short, and Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels snares the rebound. He passes to Pruitt, who again brings the ball up the floor, only this time he finds Davis all alone in the corner, where he knocks down the 15-footer (90-43 9:06).
Inconceivable, as House buries the trey with 8:30 left in the game to make it a 50 (yes, FIFTY) point lead ... Time for this Knicks organization to make like Ol' Yeller and take Isiah out to the back of the barn, you know what I'm sayin'?
Anyway, let's wrap this puppy up, I've had enough fun for tonight ... Two free throws by Robinson give the Knicks 56 points (snicker) with 56.7 seconds remaining. Now, the record for fewest points in a game for a New York team is 58 (on Dec. 15, 2000 against Utah), so that might make the end of this contest a bit more interesting.
Powe scores on the jumpshot off the pass from Pruitt (102-56 45.2), then Rose misses the outside shot and Gabe comes away with the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who slowly dribbles upcourt as the crowd is on their feet ... Rather than pile it on, Rajon lets the shot clock expire, so the Knicks have one last chance with exactly two seconds remaining on the clock. That's when Randolph Morris the Cat inbounds the ball to Nate at midcourt, where he lets one fly and it (miraculously) goes in!
Aw, what a spoil-sport, as the Knicks avoid a spot in the record books ... but they still wind up looking like a bunch of pathetic losers (104-59) and in the end, isn't that all that really matters?
FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, New York 59
GAME RATING:
20
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- R. Allen: 28 MIN, 21 PTS (8-14 FG), 5 REB, 3 AST
- Pierce: 28 MIN, 21 PTS (6-16 FG, 4-8 3PTers), 8 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
- House: 23 MIN, 15 PTS (5-8 FG, 5-6 3PTers), 4 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
- Davis: 30 MIN, 13 PTS (4-6 FG), 6 REB (4 OFF), 1 BLK
- Rondo: 27 MIN, 10 PTS (5-8 FG), 7 AST, 0 TO
- Robinson: 22 MIN, 11 PTS (4-10 FG), 2 AST
- Crawford: 28 MIN, 8 PTS (4-8 FG)
- Richardson: 28 MIN, 7 PTS (3-12 FG), 9 REB
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Tonight's game was blacked out on Comcast SportsNet (although the network did go through with their regular pre- and post-game shows), while TNT showed it as part of their Thursday night NBA double-header (Denver versus the LA Lakers was the late-night matchup).
- The Celts have now won 11 of their last 14 games against the Knicks.
- With only eight points, Kevin Garnett saw his streak of double-digit scoring games come to an end at 411 straight (seventh longest in NBA history) ... Like the rest of Boston's starters, he got a lot of rest, playing just 22 minutes (although he did lead all players with 11 rebounds).
- New York shot just 30 percent from the floor (23-76 FG) , with more turnovers (14) than assists (12).
- Allan Tony missed his second straight game due to a thigh injury.
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