November 13, 2007
7:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Conseco Fieldhouse (Indianapolis, IN)
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
Pacers Starting Lineup: Mike Dunleavy-Alone, Jamaalware Tinsley, Smellin' of Troy Murphy, The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly on Jermaine O'Neal, Danny "Away in a" Granger
How's it feel to be cheering for the NBA's only unbeaten team? Does it feel good? Does it make you feel strong? Like you're a big strong man now?
Well, the C's are feeling strong, as two of their main bench guys (Parker Posey and The Scals of Justice) are back from injury and ready to go for the 6-0 start (a feat they haven't pulled off since the '87-88 club) against former head coach Jim O'Brien On the Inside and his Indiana Pacers ... Indiana started the season 3-0, but have now lost three straight and are struggling to keep Jermaine O'Neal happy. Will Boston let its collective guard down against an inferior opponent? Let's find out!
FIRST QUARTER
Granger hits a three-pointer to open the game (what a surprise, a Jim O'Brien-coached team looking for the outside shot); at the other end, KG buries the turnaround jumper with O'Neal right in his face (2-3 11:16).
O'Neal then passes inside to Tinsley, and he tries to kick it back out to Dunleavy but it's tipped by Garnett as the ball rolls all way out to the other side of the court and out of bounds. It's still Indiana possession, but there's only nine seconds left on the shot clock, so Dunleavy is forced to heave up a three-point shot that misses badly ... so badly, in fact, that the buzzer goes off (it looks like it didn't even touch the rim); however, the refs talk it over and decide to give the ball back to the Pacers with a fresh 24 seconds (O'Neal had gotten the rebound after the shot clock went off).
So, it's Indiana possession once again, however Jermaine misses the fallaway jumper over Perkins; Murphy grabs the offensive rebound, but has his putback attempt blocked by KG (nice). Perk collects the loose ball and gets it to Ray, who pushes the ball upcourt before passing to Kevin for the 15-foot jumpshot; that too misses, as O'Neal collects the board and passes to Tinsley, and he takes it all the way in for the layup PLUS a foul is called on Rondo. He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (2-6 10:09).
While Jamaal is at the line, Murphy heads to the locker room with a bloody nose (I think he took an inadvertant elbow from Perk) and Jeff Foster Parents comes in to replace him. Pierce then misses a jumper and Foster makes himself useful right away by securing the rebound; he gets the ball to Tinsley, who again takes it all the way in against Rondo and loses him off the dribble before scoring the layup (2-8 9:38).
Glenn Rivers M.D. must not be happy with Rajon's performance thus far, as Hugh Laurie is up off the bench and waiting at the scorers' table; Rondo tries to redeem himself somewhat by hitting the "jay", but Dunleavy answers with a basket of his own (4-10 9:03).
Rajon then takes the pass from Pierce and hits a little floater in the lane (maybe House should stay on the bench!), while at the other end Dunleavy tries the pullup jumper but is wide of the mark. Ray grabs the rebound and takes it upcourt himself, then passes to Paul who gives the upfake to get Dunleavy in the air; with the big guy out of the picture, Pierce takes it to the basket and barrels right into O'Neal, but the refs call Jermaine for the blocking foul (his second already).
That sends the Pacers' star player to the bench at 8:14 left in the quarter, and David Sexual-Harrison-Panda comes in to replace him ... Meanwhile, it's still Boston possession, but Pierce misses a three-point attempt badly and Foster gets another rebound. He finds Tinsley upcourt who pulls up for the shot but can't connect; KG tips the rebound to Ray, as we head back the other way and Allen makes the nice pass inside to Perk for the layup over Harrison (8-10 7:51).
David then scores (Indiana is 5-for-11 from the field thus far), and Ray tries to answer but misses the fallaway jumper over Dunleavy (Boston is 4-for-8 shooting). Harrison collects the rebound and passes to Tinsley, who dribbles up the floor before throwing an alleyoop pass to Foster who finishes with the layup (8-14 7:02).
Celts aren't in a rhythm yet, as Scotty 2 Hotty is in at the 4:27 mark to replace Perk (he has two fouls); meanwhile, Garnett misses the outside jumper, but Pierce snares the offensive board and kicks it out to House for the three-pointer (19-21 4:08).
Tinsley then tries to pass the ball to Foster, but the big man doesn't seem to notice as the ball sails right past him for the backcourt violation; Celts regain possession, but Ray misses the outside shot and Foster controls the loose board (Indiana is currently winning the battle of the 'bounds, 10 to 4). He gets it to Travis Diener-Wog, who finds Granger and he knocks down the pullup jumper over Pierce (19-23 3:32).
Now House misses, and Foster pulls down the carom (his fifth); at the other end, Granger swings the ball around to Diener wide open behind the three-point line, however the shot clanks off the rim and KG is fouled by Shaawanwaki Williams going for the rebound. Pacers are now over the limit, so Kevin heads to the line and makes both free throws (21-23 2:49).
A basket by Pollard (off the nice pass from Garnett) with 1:33 left in the quarter ties the score at 23 apiece. Shawne then misses the shot, and Posey (just into the game) get the rebound; he passes to House, who gets the ball upcourt to KG, and he finds Posey hustling over to the corner. James then tries to work the baseline to get at the basket, but knocks down Kareem Rush Hour 3 and is called for the offensive foul ...
Allan Tony and Rondo are into the game (Ray and House take a seat) as Indiana regains possession, and Diener makes the bounce pass to Foster driving down lane; he knocks down Posey (similar to the previous play) but this time James is called for the blocking foul!
That's now his second foul, so Foster heads to the line with 36.6 seconds left as Scalabrine comes in to replace him ... Jeff then makes his first free throw, but can't make the second and KG comes away with the rebound (his fourth); he quickly gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, who drives to the basket before kicking the ball out to Scals and he buries the three-pointer (26-24 :15.0)! No ill effects for Scalabrine, I guess ...
Indiana can't get a shot off in the closing moments, and the Celts end the first quarter ahead by two (26-24) ...
SECOND QUARTER
Scals misses a three-point attempt to open the quarter, as Dunleavy grabs the rebound and passes to Rush, who quickly pushes the ball upcourt before passing back inside to Mike, where he's fouled by Pollard and proceeds to make both of his free throws to tie the score (26-all 11:44).
Pierce then makes a nice pass inside to Pollard, but the big man can't handle it and the ball rolls out of bounds; the Pacers regain possession with a chance to retake the lead, but O'Neal misses the turnaround "jay" over Pollard and Tony comes away with the loose board (after losing the battle of the boards badly to start the game, Boston now has 11 rebounds to Indiana's 12). He proceeds to take the ball upcourt himself, and goes all the way in for a layup attempt that comes up short, however Pollard is fouled by Rush going for the offensive rebound.
That means that it's still Boston ball, and Pierce tries to take it right at Dunleavy ... however, Jermaine comes over to bother the shot, causing Paul to miss. Dunleavy grabs the rebound and gets the ball upcourt to Diener, who misses the three-point shot and Tony snares another rebound. He gets the ball to Rondo, who finds Scals spotting up behind the three-point line and he buries it (29-26 10:38); Gorman: "He's not dizzy, he's got no headaches right now!"
At the other end, O'Neal tries to take it in over Pollard for the layup, but little Rajon skies high for the block (!!!) and Scals secures the loose ball. He gives it to Rondo, who motors upcourt ... but he might be just a little too pumped up, as he travels with the ball. That gives Indiana back possession, and Shawne hits a trey of his own (29-all 9:59).
Perk comes back into the game with 9:42 left to replace Pollard, while O'Neal immediately takes it at Kendrick (trying to draw another foul) before passing to Dunleavy for the layup (29-31 9:28).
Perk is then called for an offensive foul setting the screen on Diener (there's that pesky third foul); it's Pacers ball once again, but Diener misses the three-pointer (Indiana's shooting just 2-for-6 from the field in the quarter) and Pierce grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, where O'Neal comes over to cover him, but Paul easily loses him off the dribble as he pulls up for the jumper and buries it (31-all 8:53); the Celts are now also shooting 2-for-6 from the field this quarter ... If you need me to do the math for you, that means that both teams are shooting the ball horribly.
At the other end, Pierce draws an offensive foul call as Dunleavy runs right into him; Boston regains possession (KG comes back into the game at this point to replace Perk) and Kevin passes inside to Pierce underneath the basket. He's double-teamed, so Paul kicks it out to Scals for another three-point attempt - actually his foot is on the line - but Shawne fouls him so that puts Brian at the line where he makes both free throws (33-31 8:33) ... that's eight points for Scals in his return (he's now Boston's leading scorer!).
Pierce hits a fallaway jumper over Granger with 6:30 remaining in the half to extend it to a four-point Celtics lead, then Tinsley misses a three-point shot (Indiana's now 2-for-11 shooting in the quarter) but O'Neal grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Granger. Danny drives down the lane, but Scals has him covered, so he tries to get the ball back to O'Neal, and the pass is too high and goes out of bounds (the Pacers' ninth turnover). Boston regains possession, as Pierce is again double-teamed underneath the basket, so he finds his new favorite target Scalabrine spotting up behind the three-point line. Unfortunately, this time he can't hit the shot, and Granger secures the rebound; he passes to Tinsley upcourt, who holds the ball for a second before getting it back to Danny and he scores on the fallaway jumper over Garnett (37-35 4:29).
At the other end, Kevin takes it strong to the basket and draws the foul on O'Neal; that's his third, so Harrison comes back in to replace him as Kevin steps to the line and makes one-of-two foul shots (38-35 4:11).
Granger answers with a trey to again tie the score, then KG tries to pass inside to Ray but he loses it out of bounds. That means it's Pacers' ball with a chance to take the lead, but Granger misses the shot over Scals and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who dribbles up the court, then gets the ball back in Paul's hands and he upfakes from the top of the key to get Granger off-balance; it works, so Pierce drives to the basket and Tinsley takes a swipe at him to draw the foul ... however, Jamaal also gives a little extra as he brings his right hand down on top of Paul's head (I'd pretty much call that a punch myself)!
Pierce is - justifiably - upset and Granger steps in front of him as he starts gesturing towards Tinsley. Order is quickly restored, as the replay shows that Jamaal did indeed wind up and bop Paul on top of the head as he was going past him (Gorman: "What was that about?"), so Paul takes a trip to the free throw line. He makes the first, then goes down and does a few push-ups (trying to work out some aggression?) before going back to the line and making his second (40-38 3:07).
Hey, I'd rather see Paul do push-ups than try to retaliate against a cheap-shot artist like Tinsley (no need to repeat the "I have a broken jaw" incident from the 2005 playoffs [the-w.com]) ... Anyway, at the other end Pierce fouls Harrison (no cheap shot given) where he can only make one-of-two foul shots, then Paul beats Granger off the dribble and goes in for the strong one-hand dunk (42-39 2:45); uh oh, he's mad now, boy!
It's down to a two-point lead with two minutes left in the half, when Pierce blows by Shawne and goes in for the layup PLUS a foul is called on Harrison! Paul makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (46-41 1:52), as he clearly is playing with a chip on his shoulder now. Harrison is then called for the offensive foul setting the screen on House; that's his third, so Foster comes back into the game as the Celtics regain possession. Pierce (let's call him "Man on a Mission" from here on out) then backs down Shawn before finishing with the layup (48-41 1:32)!
It's up to a nine-point Celtics advantage at halftime (52-43), thanks in no small part to Paul Pierce, who scored 17 of his 21 points (5-10 FG, 11-11 FT) in that second quarter ... Don't you feel like a dumb-ass now, Tinsley?
THIRD QUARTER
Murphy misses the opening shot of the second half, but O'Neal grabs the offensive rebound and scores over KG (52-45 11:30); those are his first points of the night (1-6 FG). At the other end, Murphy is called for the defensive 3-second violation; Ray makes the free throw (he also went scoreless in the first half, shooting just 0-for-4 from the field), as the C's still have possession and Garnett buries the outside shot (55-45 11:08); he now has nine points (3-6 FG).
Granger then loses the handle on the ball and Rondo picks it up (Boston has eight steals to Indiana's big fat zero), as we head back the other way and Rajon passes to Allen, who works the baseline around Dunleavy before finally scoring a basket (57-45 10:14).
At the other end, Mike has his layup attempt blocked by Perkins out of bounds; it's still Pacers' ball, as Dunleavy inbounds to Tinsley who gets it to O'Neal, and he tries to pass inside to Murphy ... However, the big man must have had other things on his mind, as he lets the ball goes right past him out of bounds (that's 15 Indiana turnovers to Boston's eight).
The crowd is starting to voice their displeasure with the home team, but the Celts can't capitalize as Ray misses the off-balance shot over Dunleavy, and Murphy grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Tinsley, who pulls up for the three-point shot and nails it (57-48 9:13).
KG then miss, and Perk fouls Murphy going for the rebound ... that's Kendrick's fourth (!), but he stays in the game as O'Neal tries to take it right at him. Luckily, Rondo comes up with the steal from behind, and gets it up ahead to Garnett, who's fouled by Murphy and makes both free throws (59-48 8:40).
Heinsohn proclaims this a "more methodical game" then we've seen from the Celtics so far this season, as Ray knocks down a trey at the seven-minute mark to extend it to a 14-point Boston advantage. Shawne then scores, but Ray quickly answers with the pullup jumper (66-52 6:04); he now has 10 of Boston's 14 points in the quarter!
It's a 12-point lead with four minutes to go in the quarter, when O'Neal tries to shoot a pullup jumper over Perkins but gets it rejected right back in his face (he's now 2-for-9 from the floor)! Rondo picks up the loose ball and pushes it upcourt, before finding Ray behind the three-point line where he buries yet another one (69-54 3:54)! It might not be pretty, but the C's are firmly in control of this game right now ... We head into the final quarter with a 76-65 Celtics lead, as Ray Allen scored all 15 of his points (5-13 FG) in the third!
FOURTH QUARTER
Celts start the final quarter with a lineup of Pollard, Pierce, Posey, House, and Tony Allen ... On their first possession, Pierce makes the bullet pass inside to Pollard and he's fouled by O'Neal, so that sends Scotty to the line where he makes 1-of-2 free throws (77-65 11:01).
Tinlsey then misses the pullup jumper, as Foster controls the miss (the Pacers now have 13 offensive rebounds) but can't score on the putback; however, Pollard fouls Dunleavy in the ensuing scrum underneath the basket. Indiana retains possession, and Dunleavy hits the outside "jay" (77-67 10:41).
At the other end, House misses a shot, as the Pacers have a chance to get back within single digits ... but Rush misses the three-pointer (whew!) and Pierce nabs the rebound. He brings the ball upcourt himself, and takes it right at Dunleavy to draw the foul. Ray comes back into the game (while the other Allen takes a seat) as Paul steps to the line and knocks down both foul shots (79-67 10:03); for those keeping score at home, Pierce is a perfect 14-of-14 from the line tonight (26 PTS)!
Tinsley then misses a three-point shot and Pierce gets the loose board; he dribbles upcourt before passing to Ray, who takes it to the basket (to draw Foster's attention) and that leaves Pollard all alone for the layup (81-67 9:34).
Granger answers with a trey (why does Indiana's PA announcer call every three-pointer a "home run", that's so lame), then House tries to answer with a three-point shot of his own but comes up short. O'Neal collects the rebound and gives the ball to Tinsley, who gives it back to Granger and he blows by Pierce but runs right into Pollard for another offensive foul!
The bench appreciates Scotty's efforts, as Boston regains possession and Pierce hits the little hook shot over Granger (83-70 8:10). O'Neal then misses and Paul pulls down the board (his ninth); he gets the ball upcourt to Ray, who finds KG in the paint and he tries the fallaway jumper over O'Neal but misses (Kevin's just 4-for-11 from the field tonight). Tinsley gets the rebound as we head back the other way, and he gives it up to Granger who hits another trey (83-73 7:23)! Danny is 5-for-5 from three-point land, wow.
At the other end, KG again tries to score on O'Neal and misses ... however, a late whistle puts him at the line (surprising, as it's on Jermaine, his fifth!) and Garnett makes one-of-two free throws (84-73 7:02).
O'Neal stays in the game, as Granger comes up short with the jumpshot over Pierce and KG comes away with the carom. He gets the ball to Ray, and he swings it around to House who drives to the basket before kicking it back out to KG and he finds Pierce open for the three-pointer (87-73 6:27)! That's 31 points for the captain ...
Unfortunately, House injured himself during that sequence (he went up in the air before passing to KG and landed right on O'Neal's sneaker); he's limping his way upcourt and eventually grabs Tinsley just to stop the clock and hobbles his way to the bench (uh oh). Rondo is quickly into the game to replace him, while Jamaal heads to the line and makes both foul shots (87-75 6:09) ... A basket by Tinsley cuts the lead to single digits with 4:35 to go, then KG misses the turnaround jumper (just hasn't been his night) and O'Neal comes away with the rebound. He passes to Jamaal, who quickly takes it upcourt and goes all the way in for the layup (89-82 4:08).
Posey is also whistled for the foul as the shot goes in, to which Heinsohn remarks "The crowd would've run this official outta the building if he had called a charge there, and that [call] was strictly crowd-influenced" ... It all evens out in the end, however, as Tinsley misses the free throw.
KG then hits an outside jumper (16 PTS, 5-13 FG) to break Indiana's 9-0 scoring run, while at the other end Posey steals a pass from Rush and sends it back to Ray who tries the fallaway jumper over Granger. The shot misses, as Shawne grabs the rebound and passes upcourt to Tinsley, who gives the ball to Granger; the rookie tries to pass inside to Rush, but the ball goes over his head and out of bounds. That means that Boston gets another opportunity to put this game away, and Pierce makes the nice pass inside to Garnett who scores on the easy layup (93-82 2:37).
O'Neal answers with the dunk (time is running out for the home team though), then Ray misses the three-point shot but Posey comes away with the offensive board and kicks it out to Pierce, who passes inside to KG and he gives it up to Rondo. Rajon then goes up for the layup, but Tinsley just shoves him down to the floor (man, what a prick!) ... Rajon hits the deck hard, but appears to be okay as Jamaal is called for the flagrant foul (thank you!); he gets a trip to the line, but might still be a little shaken up as he misses both free throws.
It's still Celtics possession with 1:43 left in the game (Heinsohn: "The first time Tinsley goes through, Perkins should deck him!"), and Pierce makes another nice pass inside to Posey who scores the layup (95-84 1:39) ... That pretty much wraps things up, as the Celts win yet again, 101 to 86.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 101, Indiana 86
GAME RATING:
13
SLAM DUNK
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 41 MIN, 31 PTS (8-17 FG, 14-14 FT), 11 REB, 6 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
- Garnett: 39 MIN, 18 PTS (6-14 FG), 11 REB, 3 STL, 2 AST
- R. Allen: 40 MIN, 17 PTS (6-18 FG, 2-7 3PTers), 3 REB, 3 AST
- Scalabrine: 12 MIN, 9 PTS (2-5 FG, 2-5 3PTers), 1 REB, 1 BLK
- Granger: 34 MIN, 24 PTS (8-10 FG, 5-5 3PTers), 7 REB
- Tinsley: 30 MIN, 14 PTS (5-12 FG), 8 AST
- O'Neal: 33 MIN, 10 PTS (4-13 FG), 9 REB
POST-GAME NOTES:
- Boston had just 13 turnovers tonight (five in the second half), compared to Indiana's 23 ... It's the first time this season that the Pacers have had more turnovers than their opponent.
- As of right now, the Celtics are first in the NBA in field-goal percentage (50.8 FG%), first in field-goal percentage allowed (39.7 FG%), and first in average margin of victory (16.3 PPG) ... What else can you say but "wow".
- Paul Pierce was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- Yesterday Garnett was named Eastern Conference Player of the Week (22.7 PPG, 15.3 RPG, 6.3 APG); no surprise there ...
- Snifter of Brandon Wallace has been assigned to the NBA Developmental League. He will report to the Celtics' affiliate, the Utah Flash (nba.com) later this week.
- Remember when Vindiffence twisted his ankle during Saturday's game against the Nets? Well, the MRI results are in (sports.yahoo.com), and and Carter is out indefinitely with a Grade 1 sprain. Bad news for our Atlantic Division foes ...
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