November 10, 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: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Nets Starting Lineup: Vindifference, Jason Has a Big-Headed Kidd, Jason Collins All Cars, Krstic the Clown, Richard Jefferson Airplane
It's the battle of the Atlantic Division powerhouses (an oxymoron just last season), as the 4-1 New Jersey Nets are hosting our very own unbeaten Boston Celtics ...
The bench is running a bit thin, however, as Parker Posey is still absent (back spasms) and The Scals of Justice did not make the trip into Joisey as he's recovering from the effects of a mild concussion from last night's inadvertant hit versus the Atlanta Hawks. This means that there will be even more pressure on our starting five (Perkins is the only one averaging less than 30 minutes a game so far) to carry the load and will this club to another victory.
FIRST QUARTER
Collins wins the opening tap against Perkins, as Kidd winds up with the ball; he tries to pass inside to Jason but it goes right off KG's chest and bounces over to Pierce. Paul then passes upcourt to Allen, and he takes it in right over Krstic for the layup (2-0 11:39).
Jefferson is then fouled by Perk whilst driving to the basket, so he steps to the line and makes both free throws for the early tie ... Richard is now 48-for-49 in foul shots for the season (wow).
Meanwhile, Garnett misses the turnaround jumper and the ball bounces up over the backboard and out of bounds; New Jersey regains possession, and Kidd quickly throws up the alleyoop pass to Carter for the reverse dunk (2-4 10:51).
At the other end, Ray misses the three-point attempt, and KG ties up Vince going for the loose rebound; a jump ball is called, as Kevin wins the tap and passes out to Rondo, who tries the pullup jumper over Kidd and buries it (4-all 10:15).
Two free throws by Allen puts the Celts ahead at the 9:14 mark, then Carter is double-teamed under the basket, so he tries to kick the ball out to Krstic. However, his plan backfires, as Pierce picks off the pass (that's the Nets' third turnover already) and motors up the floor; he tries to take it all the way in against Kidd for the layup, but can't score, as Krstic comes away with the miss. He gets the ball to Jefferson, who passes back to the trailer Kidd and he knocks down the long jumpshot (6-all 8:52).
Pierce landed hard on the floor after missing that layup, and is now holding his left hip (please not another injury), but still goes for the spin move around Jefferson on the next Celtics possession. Kidd comes over to help, so Paul has to pass out to Rondo, who swings it around to Ray with Carter right on him. Vince is able to knock the ball out of his hands out of bounds, so that means the C's have just five seconds left on the shot clock; Allen inbounds to KG, who (knowing that he has to launch one) tries the deep jumper that misses. Ray is almost able to tip it in (that would've been a nice play), but Krstic comes away with the rebound and gets the ball to Kidd, who dribbles upcourt for the Nets fast break. He tries to pull up over Rondo, and the shot is wide right, but the refs bail him out by calling a foul so Kidd gets to the line and makes both free throws (6-8 8:10).
At the other end, Rondo ends up holding the ball for a long time as the Celts try to set up their offense ... he finally passes inside to Perkins, but he's immediately double-teamed, so he has to kick it out to Pierce behind the three-point line. Paul tries to dribble in a little closer, but doesn't realize the time and can't get a shot off as the team is whistled for the 24-second violation (that was a sloppy sequence); New Jersey regains possession, and Vince buries the fallaway "jay" over Ray (6-10 7:32).
Allen answers with a three-pointer to get Boston back within one, then Krstic misses the shot and Perk grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds KG under the basket where he's fouled by Nenad and makes both free throws to put the C's ahead once again (11-10 6:33).
Jefferson and KG trade baskets, then Vince loses Ray off the dribble (almost like Allen just stopped and gave up on the play) and nails the open jumper (13-14 5:49).
Pierce tries to answer but misses the three-point shot (Boston is shooting just 4-for-11 from the field), as Kidd gets the rebound and makes a fullcourt pass to Jefferson who is all alone for the layup (13-16 5:25); the Nets are currently 27th in the league in field-goal percentage, but are shooting almost 70 percent (6-9 FG) thus far.
As for the Celts, they're still having trouble finding their scoring touch, as KG misses the outside jumper ... but Krstic and Jefferson both go up for rebound and end up tipping it into the basket! Wow, that's pretty embarrassing, as Perkins is given credit for the hoop since he was closest to the rim (15-16 4:55).
Carter then drives to the basket and is bumped by Pierce (his second foul) with 4:35 left in the quarter, as Allan Tony comes in to replace him and immediately hacks Jefferson as he's driving along the baseline for a layup attempt. That puts Richard at the line, where he makes both foul shots (15-18 4:26).
Ray buries another trey to tie the score at 18 apiece (Boston's shooting a little better now at 6-for-13 from the field), but at the other end Kidd eludes Rondo - thanks to a mean pick set by Collins - and knocks down the pullup jumper (18-20 3:50).
Ray scores again (he's got 12 points on 4-for-6 shooting!), then Krstic sets the screen on Tony to free up Jefferson, and he takes it all the way in over KG for the layup (20-22 3:20); he now has 10 points (I still say he's the most overrated player in the NBA, I don't care).
Garnett answers with a baseline jumper, then Perk is whistled for a defensive three-second violation, and Jefferson makes the free throw to put New Jersey back up one with 2:45 to go; it's still Nets ball, but Rondo strips Jefferson and dives to the floor to prevent the ball from rolling out of bounds (you'd better believe that's a Tommy Point). He gets it to Garnett, who swings the ball around to Ray for the three-point shot; it misses (damn!) and Carter snags the rebound. He gets it to Kidd, who passes back to Vince and he pulls up - with KG right in his face - and buries the shot (22-25 2:10)! New Jersey is shooting 75 percent (9-12 FG) from the floor ...
At the other end, Tony Allen throws up an airball (!), as the C's just can't seem to get into a rhythm; Hugh Laurie takes the opportunity to come in and replace Rondo, while Kidd takes a breather and My Other Cousin Darrell Armstrong comes into the game. Meanwhile, Vince drives along the baseline adn the defense collapses on him, so he throws a pass out to Jefferson ... Now, Richard is standing behind the three-point line when he catches the pass, but is somehow able to take it all the way in from there uncontested and throws down the powerful one-handed slam (22-27 1:33)! I'm not used to seeing such lackadaisal defense from the Celtics now, I've become spoiled.
Celts again take a lot of time setting up their offense, but House knocks down a deep jumper to beat the shot clock (maybe his offensive performance will carry over and he can solve Boston's shooting woes). At the other end, Carter makes a nice pass inside to Antoine "Time To" Wright (just into the game) and he tries to score on the reverse layup, but misses the shot.
KG grabs the loose rebound (just his first) and gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, who slices down the lane before handing it off to Tony. He has his layup attempt blocked by Vince (looks like it's gonna be a long night for Tony) and Jefferson collects the loose ball. He gets it to Darrell, who takes it back the other way and passes to Bostjan Snackbar, but he knocks down Ray trying to make a move to the basket and earns an offensive foul call.
Boston regains possession, and KG backs down Jamaal MaglorieHole before being fouled and making both free throws (26-27 :17.9) to get the Celts within one ... Carter misses a jumper (with Garnett all over him) in the closing moments, as the score remains 26 to 27 at the end of one.
SECOND QUARTER
Rondo, House, KG, and the two Allens are in to start the second quarter (I guess we're playing some more small ball), as a layup by Rajon puts Boston back ahead. At the other end, Magliore misses the shot and Garnett grabs the rebound; he passes up ahead to Tony, who drives to the basket before being fouled by Vince. That gets him to the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (29-27 10:26).
Wright answers with a three-pointer to put New Jersey back on top, then Ray tries the pullup jumper over Wright and misses. Carter gets the rebound and passes off to Armstrong, who brings it upcourt and passes to Nachbar standing in the paint, where he takes it in for the layup attempt that misses badly, but the refs bail him out by calling the foul on KG!
What a ridiculous call, as Kevin didn't even touch him (replays confirm this) and KG voices his displeasure which earns him a technical foul to boot; Gorman remarks "That's really weak when you make a bad call and then call a technical" (and remember, he's the non-homer of the two announcers!) as Darrell makes one free throw, then Nachbar gets his turn and makes one-of-two foul shots (29-32 9:42).
Pierce coms back into the game at this point for Rondo, then House makes a nice bounce pass inside to Tony who finishes with the dunk ... but hold on a second, the refs swoop in again and say that Tony stepped out of bounds before making the shot, so they waive off the basket (sheesh). New Jersey regains possession, and Vince hits the fallaway jumper over Tony (29-34 9:07).
Garnett banks in a shot over Jefferson (10 PTS, 2 REB) to get the C's back within three, while at the other end Carter tries another fallaway j (with Tony in his face) but this time he front-rims it and House takes the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Ray, who wants to drive to the hoop but Magliore fouls KG away from the ball and Glenn Rivers M.D. takes the opportunity to call a timeout with 8:25 remaining in the half.
When play resumes, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis sees some early action, coming in to replace Tony; meanwhile, KG drives down the lane before kicking out to an open House for the three-point basket (34-all 8:19).
Jefferson then misses an off-balance shot over Ray, and Garnett gets himself another rebound; he gets the ball to House, who dribbles upcourt before passing back to Kevin. He has Magliore on him, but instead of trying to force his way to the basket, he instead passes inside to Pierce for the short turnaround jumper over Wright (36-34 7:42); that was very generous of Kevin, as Paul needs to heat up (2 PTS, 1-3 FG).
Nachbar then misses a three-point shot and KG grabs the board; he finds Pierce again, who's tied up by Wright while going for the shot. That puts him at the line with 7:10 on the clock, where he makes the first free throw but misses the second. However, Davis comes away with the offensive rebound, and kicks it out Ray who swings the ball around to Pierce for an open three-point shot. Unfortunately, he misses the shot, but the loose rebound bounces right into Ray's hands and he immediately puts up the shot; that too misses (!) and Kidd comes down with the rebound.
He pushes it upcourt, and tires for the bounce pass inside to Jefferson, who proceeds to blow the layup - told you he was overrated - and Garnett gets the rebound (his fifth). He gets the ball to House, who tries to make a fullcourt pass up ahead to Pierce, but Wright gets a hand on it and Kidd comes away with the loose ball (dammit)! So, we go back the other way, as Jason passes to Wright who is all alone for the dunk (37-36 6:37); well, that was anticlimactic.
Garnett then tries for the hook shot over Collins but comes up short (he's 3-for-8 from the field); however, Davis grabs another offensive board and is fouled from behind by Jefferson going for the putback, so it's "Big Baby" to the line where he makes both free throws (39-36 6:13); Perk comes into the game now, while KG goes to the bench for his first rest of the night.
Kidd hits an outside jumpwe to get New Jersey within one, while at the other end Perkins tries to lob a pass inside to Pierce but it's too high (it actually hits the rim, so I guess that counts as a shot attempt!) and Wright comes away with the "rebound"; he gets it to Kidd, and he takes it all the way to the hoop but at the last second kicks the ball out to a wide-open Nachbar for the trey (39-41 5:31).
Ray is then triple-teamed under the basket (!) so he kicks it out to House, who swings the ball around to Pierce at the top of the key, and Paul drives down the lane where he's bumped by Wright but is still able to knock down the shot! He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (42-41 5:10).
Nachbar then misses a three-point shot, and Pierce pulls down the rebound before taking it upcourt himself and finding Ray spotting up; his three-point attempt also fails to go in, but Davis is right there for the offensive board and immediately goes back up for the layup attempt ... that too misses (!) but he gets another rebound and (with the Nets players now surrounding him) he kicks it out to a wide-open House for a three-pointer that actually goes in (45-41 4:38)! Heinsohn: "Big Baby is making a statement, I'll let him outta the crib anytime!"
Jefferson quickly scores, then Pierce misses the turnaround jumper over Richard, but Davis comes up with yet another offensive board and this time he's able to score on the putback (47-43 3:56)! He's making the most of his newfound playing time, that's for sure!
At the other end, Nachbar has his shot blocked by Perkins, but Krstic recovers the loose ball and gets it to Jefferson, who just hurls himself at the basket and the refs call Perk for the foul (lame); Richard makes both free throws to get his team back within a basket (47-45 3:35) ... However, it's starting to look like the Celts are getting into a rhythm now, as Perk hits the fallaway jumper over Go Fix Malik-ey Faucet Allen to get the lead back up to four with three minutes to go in the half.
Malik then misses the shot, and Ray pulls down the rebound (Boston is now outrebounding New Jersey 25 to 12); he takes it back the other way, then passes to Perk, who sends it over to Paul and he buries the trey (52-45 2:33)!
The Nets call a timeout, as KG comes back into the game to replace Davis; a good night thus far for "Big Baby", with just four points but seven rebounds (five of them offensive!) ... Kidd misses a shot, but the loose rebound goes of Garnett out of bounds; New Jersey retains possession, as Jefferson misses the outside jumper, but Malik grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Kidd. He gets it back to Jefferson, who is fouled by Perkins taking the ball to the hoop, earning himself a trip to the line where he makes both free throws (52-47 2:09).
At the other end, Pierce is fouled by Nachbar, so he gets a chance at the charity strip with 2:03 remaining in the half; he makes the first free throw, but misses the second ... Nothing to fear, however, as KG gets the offensive rebound (Boston is just dominating the boards right now) and kicks it out to Pierce; he's double-teamed, so he passes to Rondo (just into the game for House) and the point guard finds Perk underneath the basket for the dunk (55-47 1:42)!
Nets are able to cut the lead down to five in the closing moments, but KG hits a turnaround "jay" over Nachbar at the buzzer to close out the half (nice) and give Boston a 59-52 advantage ... Speaking of advantages, the Celts took advantage of the Nets tonight on the glass, with 28 rebounds (nine offensive) to New Jersey's measly fifteen. Let's hope that trend continues in the second half!
THIRD QUARTER
KG makes a nice pass inside to Pierce for the layup (who loudly proclaims to the referees that Jefferson also got a piece of his arm) to open the quarter, then Krstic misses a shot, but Collins takes down the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Kidd. He finds Carter, who (in turn) swings the ball around to Jefferson for the open jumpshot; however, that also misses, and Garnett collects the rebound.
Celts take control, as Pierce makes the nice pass inside to Garnett, but he backrims the shot; Kidd takes down the carom, and quickly gets the ball up ahead to Jefferson, who tries to take it in over Pierce but misses the layup. Perkins comes away with the rebound and passes to Ray, as he takes it back the other way; Vince has him covered, so he gives the ball back to Perkins, who muscles his way into the paint and finishes with the hook shot over Krstic (63-52 10:28).
Jefferson then clanks a three-point attempt, which finds its way into Allen's hands to start the Celetics fast break ... He takes it coast-to-coast for the layup attempt, but is fouled by Krstic before he can convert the basket, so he must settle for two free throws instead (65-52 10:01).
At the other end, Carter is fouled by Perkins (his fourth) so now he gets a chance at the line, but can only come up with one-of-two free throws (65-53 9:47); that signals Kendrick's return to the bench, as "Big Baby" is back on the floor.
Meanwhile, a layup by Pierce gets the lead up to fourteen with 7:40 on the clock. Jefferson is then called for a travelling violation (New Jersey's ninth turnover) as Boston regains possession ... However Pierce misses the fallaway jumper over Wright, and Kidd comes away with the loose board. He takes it upcourt himself, then pulls up for the short jumper; that misses the mark, and Ray grabs the rebound.
We head back the other way now, as Allen passes inside to KG underneath the basket, but he has his layup attempt blocked from behind by Magliore as the ball sails out of bounds; it's still Boston possession with 8 seconds left on the shot clock, and Ray inbounds to Rondo who swings it around to Paul, and he tries for the pullup jumper at the free throw line.
That also misses (the Celts are shooting just 3-for-10 in the quarter thus far) and Jefferson grabs the rebound; he gets the ball upcourt to Kidd, and Jason makes the bounce pass inside to Magliore who appears to have an easy layup ... but not so fast, as Davis comes in and blocks his shot (the Nets are now 0-for-7 shooting in the quarter!).
Ray recovers the loose ball and tries to make the pass to a hustling Davis, but the ball is behind him and goes out of bounds (Boston's eighth turnover ... Man, this is just some ugly ball thus far, as Kidd is fouled by "Big Baby" and makes both free throws with 6:07 remaining to get New Jersey within twelve (Nets have only scored three points in the quarter thus far, as they haven't made a shot yet). At the other end, Pierce is able to elude Wright off the dribble and takes it in over Jefferson for reverse layup, PLUS he is fouled and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (70-55 5:39); Heinsohn: "Boy, that kid Wright is wrong tonight!"
Kidd then backrims a three-point attempt, and Garnett scores the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and finds Ray at the top of the key; he tries to make a move to the basket, but three Nets come at him so he has to pull it back out. Of the three, Kidd elects to stay on him, but KG sets a pick that takes him out of the picture, so Ray pulls up and hits the jumper (72-55 4:56).
Wright then misses an open 15-footer (Nets are now 0-for-9!) and Ray takes care of the rebound; he dribbles his way up the floor and again drives to the rim, but this time passes off to Davis. "Big Baby" can't bank in the shot, however, and Kidd grabs the loose board; he quickly takes it back the other way and tries to make the bounce pass to Jefferson, but it goes right off KG's leg to disrupt the play. Wright goes for the loose ball, but Davis dives right on top of him (I bet Wright immediately regretted that decision) to force a jump ball!
Nice hustle by the rookie, as he wins the tap ... Celts regain possession, and Rondo ends up passing out of the double-team to Pierce for the three-point basket (75-55 3:54)!
Now that's more like it, as the Nets call for time ... When play resumes, Vince takes it in against two defenders for the layup and New Jersey's first field goal of the quarter (1-10 FG). However, the Celts don't just stand around and congratulate them, as Ray quickly gets the ball up ahead to Pierce who buries another trey (78-57 3:19)! That's 23 points on the night for Paul, as the Celts (in comparison) are shooting 7-for-15 in the quarter!
Wright then tries to make a pass to Carter, but Vince wasn't paying attention and can only watch as the ball sails out of bounds; Celts regain possession, and Pierce (feeling hot) goes for the pullup jumper with Wright all over him. The shot misses, but KG controls the offensive board and kicks it out to Ray; he quickly gives it up to Rondo, and in turn he swings the ball around to Paul who has now migrated beyond the three-point line. He goes for the shot as Wright has a hand in his face, which causes the shot to miss badly (calm down Paul, don't got nuts with the shooting now).
Kidd grabs the rebound and quickly gets it upcourt to Wright, who makes the pass to Carter and he drives down the lane to draw in the defense before making the bounce pass to Josh Boone and Crockett Club underneath the basket ... Now, it looks like Davis gets another nice block, but the refs call for the foul (boo) and Boone steps to the line with 2:18 left in the quarter but misses both free throws! Man, these guys are falling apart right now!
It's still a 21-point game with 1:30 on the clock, when Boone sets a pick on Ray, and that leaves Carter free to take it down the lane where he finishes with the strong one-hand dunk over Pierce. However, as soon as he lands on the floor, he comes up holding his right ankle (oh man). Wright immediately fouls Ray as Vince is writhing on the floor clutching his ankle in pain; trainers come to attend, as replays show that Vince just rolled it on the landing (didn't step on anyone's sneaker or anything).
Vince is eventually helped off the court (gingerly trying to put some weight on his ankle), as New Jersey is over the limit, so Ray gets to the line and makes both foul shots (82-61 1:19).
Kidd and Allen trade three-point baskets (Ray now has 23 points on 6-for-13 shooting), then Nachbar throws up an absolute brick (barely grazed the rim) and KG pulls down the rebound (12 PTS, 12 REB). He proceeds to get the ball upcourt to Ray, who finds Rondo in the corner; Rajon responds by swinging it around to Pierce at the top of the key, where he makes the pass back to Garnett who concludes this brilliant bit of ball movement iwth a bullet pass inside to Davis. "Big Baby" is immediately double-teamed by the Nets, but still manages to score on the layup (87-64 :11.4).
Wright hits a jumper with Ray all over him at the buzzer (not sure how he got that off), but it hardly seems to matter as the Celts are dominating in rebounds (39 to 23) and assists (22 to 13) en route to an 87-66 advantage.
FOURTH QUARTER
Pierce, Ray, Tony, Davis, and House are in to open the final quarter ... To start things off, Davis looks to have earned himself another charge call as Nachbar comes barrelling into him going for the layup attempt. However, the refs side with the home team (lame) and put Nachbar at the line, where he can only make one-of-two free throws. Meanwhile, on the Celts' first possession of the fourth quarter, House misses a three-point shot, but "Big Baby" comes away with the offensive board over two Nets players and finishes with the no-look pass (!!) inside to a cutting House who scores the layup while being fouled by Wright! The Boston bench is going apoplectic, as Eddie makes free throw to complete the three-point play (90-67 11:18).
At the other end, Sean "Stifler" Williams is fouled by House and makes both of his free throws, then Ray misses a pullup jumper over Wright and Sean clears the rebound. He passes to Armstrong, who gets the ball upcourt to Jefferson and he passes inside to Nachbar; the big man makes a spin move to elude Tony, and Davis reaches in for the steal but is instead called for the foul as Bostjan scores on the layup ... That's Glen's sixth foul, so KG comes back into the game to replace him (great night for the rookie) while Nachbar makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (90-72 10:32).
I guess the Nets are not ready to call it quits just yet ... Kidd makes the alleyoop pass to Sean for the dunk, as New Jersey has run off six straight points to get within fourteen with 7:30 remaining in the game. Armstrong then plays some tough defense on Rondo in the backcourt, forcing him to lose control of the ball; KG must go pick it up, as no one has crossed the halfcourt line and it looks like Boston is going to be called for the rare 8-second violation, however the refs grant Doc a timeout at the last moment (whew!).
When play resumes, Ray is able to inbound the ball to Rondo, and he's immediately double-teamed; Rajon's having a hard time getting himself free, but manages to escape and finds Ray all alone for another three-pointer (95-78 7:10) ... A big hoop to break up New Jersey's momentum, as Kidd airballs his own three-point shot (!) and Pierce collects the loose ball; he tries to make the fullcourt pass to Rondo up ahead, but he can't control it as Armstrong basically pulls a pass interference from the NFL and shoulders Rajon right out of the play (where's the call on that?!?). That gives the Nets back possession, and Darrell passes to a wide-open Nachbar who instead gets it right back to Armstrong behind the three-point line. House is sagging off him, so Darrell goes for the three-point shot; it misses, but the refs call Eddie for the foul (!) which gives Armstrong three free-throw attempts and he makes all of 'em (95-81 6:34).
Now the Nets are coming on strong again, as Jefferson hits the pullup jumper over Pierce to get his team within 12 with 5:30 to go. Rondo then blows past Armstrong and tries to go in for the layup, but Nachbar rejects the shot (Boston is shooting 3-for-10 from the field in the quarter) and Kidd comes away with the loose ball. He takes it upcourt and (with no Celtic covering him) goes for the 15-foot "jay", but it's wide left and KG swallows up another rebound. He gets the ball to Rondo, who crosses halfcourt before calling timeout with 5:09 to go (I was afraid the refs might whistle him for an offensive foul as Darrell does a big flop job right before Rondo signals for the timeout).
That gets Heinsohn fired up ("Boy, if these officials let them do what they're doing right now, flopping on everything and then call them on the Celtics, there oughta be an investigation!") ... when play resumes, KG tries to back down Sean and Jefferson comes over to help, so he kicks it out to an open Pierce and he buries the three-pointer (98-83 4:53)! The captain to the rescue! O captain, my captain!!!
Jefferson hits the difficult shot over Pierce (still over-rated) to cut the lead down to 13, then KG tries the turnaround jumper over Sean and misses. Wright grabs the rebound and gets the ball to Kidd, who quickly gets it upcourt and executes a perfect bounce pass inside to Williams who finishes with the layup over Garnett (98-87 3:43) ... Two free throws by Kevin with 3:30 left on the clock gives Boston a little more breathing room; Rondo then knocks the ball away from Kidd and Pierce comes up with it (hooray defense!). Paul quickly gets the ball back in Rondo's hands, who looks to have an open path to the basket; however, Darrell comes in at the last moment and blocks his layup attempt from behind!
That's not a bad move from a 60-year-old point guard ... Anyway, Jefferson gets the loose ball as we head back the other way. He passes to Kidd for the give-and-go back to Richard, but he fumbles the ball trying to make a spin move on Pierce (ha HA!) and Williams ends up fouling House going for the loose ball.
Big turnover there, as House heads to the line and makes both foul shots (102-87 2:58); the Celts are now 24-of-27 in free throws tonight. Not too shabby ... However, Armstrong answers with the three-pointer (this guy is starting to annoy me) to get the lead back down to twelve. Darrell then fouls Rondo going for the steal, but his strategy pays off as Rajon can only manage to make one-of-two free throws (103-90 2:41).
Kidd hits the outside jumper, then Pierce finds himself being covered by the much-smaller Armstrong. He tries to take advantage, but misses the shot; luckily, Jefferson jumps too soon for the rebound, so that leaves Rajon a chance to snare the offensive board and lay it in (105-92 2:08).
Nice play by Rondo, as it looks like we're finally in the clear ... Uh oh, Darrell hits another trey, then Jefferson blocks a layup attempt by Rondo (guess that last play had him miffed) and Sean collects the loose ball. He gives it to Kidd to start the fast break, and Jason finds a hustling Williams with the alleyoop pass for the strong two-hand slam (105-97 1:42).
The crowd is definitely awake now, but Boston is not calling a timeout as Pierce dribbles some time off the clock before making his move on Jefferson; that draws in the defense, so he kicks it out to Rondo, who swings the ball around to Ray open behind the three-point line and he gets the shot off with one second left ... which turns out to be an airball (d'oh!).
That's a 24-second violation, as the Nets still have time to make things unpleasant ... After a New Jersey timeout, Kidd tries to take it inside over Garnett but comes up empty and Williams can't score on the putback attempt. Rondo comes away with the rebound and finds Pierce up the floor, who then passes to KG and he quickly gives the ball to Ray (Nets don't wanna foul him). Allen gives it back to Pierce and Jefferson is finally forced to commit the foul, so Paul heads to the line and calmly sinks both free throws (107-97 :53.1).
That pretty much seals the deal, as the Celts "edge out" a win, 112 to 101.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 112, New Jersey 101
GAME RATING:
12
PULLING A WIGGUM
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 40 MIN, 28 PTS (9-19 FG, 4-7 3PTers), 4 AST, 2 STL
- R. Allen: 48 MIN, 27 PTS (7-17 FG, 4-8 3PTers, 9-10 FT), 10 REB, 5 AST
- Garnett: 42 MIN, 18 PTS (5-14 FG, 8-8 FT), 14 REB, 6 AST, 3 STL
- House: 23 MIN, 13 PTS (4-7 FG)
- Rondo: 37 MIN, 11 PTS (5-11 FG), 5 REB, 5 AST, 1 TO
- Jefferson: 42 MIN, 28 PTS (7-18 FG, 14-15 FT), 4 REB
- Carter: 30 MIN, 17 PTS (8-13 FG), 4 REB, 3 AST
- Kidd: 38 MIN, 17 PTS (5-14 FG, 6-6 FT), 12 AST, 6 REB, 2 BLK
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Rivers was actually able to coach in this game after all, flying in from Illinois to be with the team mere hours after attending his father's funeral ... say what you will about the guy, but Doc certainly is dedicated to his craft.
- The Celtics were shooting nearly 50 percent (30-62 FG) through three quarters, but that dipped down to about 30 percent (6-17 FG) in the fourth. As for the Nets, they were hovering around the 50-percent mark in the final quarter(11-23 FG) to make a game of it.
- Tonight's Tommy Award winner was "Big Baby" (17 MIN, 6 PTS, 2-5 FG, 8 REB, 6 OFF REB, 2 STL, 1 BLK).
- Tonight is Kendrick Perkins' 23rd birthday ... Happy birthday Perk!
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