Parquet Wishes and Leprechaun Dreams

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Recap: Game 7 (vs New Jersey)

BOSTON CELTICS VS NEW JERSEY NETS

November 14, 2007
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Announcers: Mike AnGormanagement, Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn and Bob "Cheap" Cousy ; 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: Antoine "Time To" Wright, Jason Has a Big-Headed Kidd, Jason Collins All Cars, Krstic the Clown, Richard Jefferson Airplane

"I love my team because they're trying to do ... stuff."

That little pearl of wisdom comes courtesy of coach Glenn Rivers M.D. after last night's win against Indiana ... but I'm so giddy over the Celts' 6-0 start, I'm not even gonna bother trying to make fun of him!

How can anyone be cynical/sarcastic after years of losing basketball have finally given way to the dawn of a new golden age (can you tell I'm overreacting a little?) ... Boston is once again at the top of the basketball world, and - even if it is just a couple of weeks into the season - we should ignore the warts for now and just bask in the glory.

One bit of news to bring the mood down, however ... Hugh Laurie will miss tonight's game (sprained left ankle), leaving us a bit short in the backup point guard department. Still, we could have it worse, as Vindifference will be absent due to ankle problems of his own; you may remember Carter coming up lame in his last encounter with the Celtics.

FIRST QUARTER

It's Collins versu Perkins in the opening tip-off, as Perk winds up with it but he's called for the violation (apparently, you can't tip the ball four times, which is news to me) ... That gives New Joisey the first possession of the night, as Kidd tries to pass inside to Krstic, but the ball bounces off KG and Perk ends up falling out of bounds trying to save it. His efforts prove to be successful - to the delight of the crowd - as he gets the ball to Ray, who takes it down the lane but winds up being doubled-teamed and picks up his pivot foot trying to break free. That's a travelling violation, so the Nets regains possession and Kidd blows past Rondo for the layup (0-2 11:08).

Pierce answers with a layup of his own, then Krstic tries to back down Perk and goes for the fallaway jumper, except that Kendrick hauls off and blocks the shot (nice). Rondo collects the loose ball and takes it back the other way, as he passes inside to KG; the defense won't let him budge, so Kevin kicks it out to Perkins and he swings it around to Allen for the open shot, but it comes up short. Kidd grabs the rebound, then dribbles up the court looking to make a move around Rondo. Rajon plays some pretty good defense, and actually gets Jason to lose the dribble, but the veteran simply takes the opportunity to pull up and buries the three-pointer (2-5 10:04)!

The Celts are struggling on the offensive end early, but Ray is fouled and makes both free throws to get Boston within one at the 8:30 mark. At the other end, Jefferson tries to drive to the basket, but he's double-teamed so he passes to Kidd for another trey (4-7 8:01)!

Pierce then tries to drive to the basket, but runs right into Collins and coughs up the ball during the ensuing collision; it actually goes off Paul's chest out of bounds (took a funny bounce, it did) so that means that the Nets regain possession. However, Kidd misses the three-point shot (getting a little greedy) and Perk grabs the rebound, quickly passing upcourt to Pierce who pulls up at the free throw line for the jumpshot over Wright (6-7 7:22); the Celts are currently shooting 40 percent from the field (2-5 FG).

Jefferson then misses a shot, but Rondo tips the loose rebound right back to Richard (whoops); he tries once again to score, but his putback attempt bounces off the back of the rim and over the backboard out of bounds (Jefferson has missed all three of his shots early). Boston regains possession, as Pierce slices down the lane but misses the layup attempt; he gets his own rebound and goes back up for the reverse layup, but that too misses and Krstic comes away with the loose board.

A lotta misses going on around here, as Nenad passes upcourt to Kidd, and he's fouled by Rondo taking the ball to the basket (we can't have Rajon getting into early foul trouble tonight). It's a non-shooting foul, so Jason inbounds the ball to Jefferson, and he tries to take it in for the layup ... but KG is right there for the rejection!

That was a sweet block, as Perk gets the loose ball and passes to Ray, who pushes things upcourt before getting it to Rondo. He then swings the ball back to Allen, and he makes the bounce pass underneath to Perkins who tries to go up for the two-hand slam, but Sean "Stifler" Williams goes up and gets him with the body; that sends Perk to the line, where he makes both foul shots (8-7 6:09).

Krstic buries the outside "jay" to put the Nets back ahead, while at the other end Perk makes a nice pass inside to KG; he's covered by two defenders, but is still able to spin around them both and scores on the layup (10-9 5:35); a nice move by Garnett, but it's only the third Celtics field goal with more than half of the quarter gone by (3-7 FG). My only comfort is that New Jersey isn't doing much better (4-12 FG).

In fact, the Nets call a timeout (most likely to rethink their offensive strategy), and when play resumes Kidd finds Wright in the corner and he buries another trey (10-12 5:12).

Ray then makes a crosscourt pass to Perkins, but he mishandles it and nearly loses the ball out of bounds. Luckily, Pierce is able to save the loose ball, and even draws the foul on Jefferson (who tripped Paul up while going for the loose ball himself); that means that the Celts retain possession ... but it's a fleeting moment, as Kidd slaps the ball out of Perk's hands from behind and Jefferson collects the loose ball.

We're heading back the other way, as Richard passes back to Kidd, who gives the upfake to get KG in the air and absorbs the contact (he could've been called for travelling as I'm pretty sure both feet left the floor) which earns him a trip to the line where he makes both foul shots (10-14 4:36).

Garnett then tries to pass inside to Perkins, but the ball is knocked out of bounds with 4:19 left in the quarter; Parker Posey takes the opportunity to come in and replace Perk, but when play resumes Allen misses the jumpshot and Kidd gets the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then makes the picture-perfect alleyoop pass to Williams for the slam (10-16 4:08).

Garnett tries to answer with the outside jumper; his shot misses, but Ray is able to tip the loose rebound to Pierce and he passes back to KG. Driving down the lane, Kevin goes for the short jumper, but that also misses ... however, little Rondo goes up high for the offensive board, then makes a behind-the-back pass back to KG for the one-hand slam (12-16 3:29)!

That wakes the crowd up, however Rondo fouls Kidd with 3:08 remaining in the quarter. Boston is now over the limit, so Jason goes to the line as Allan Tony and The Scals of Justice come into the game (Rondo and KG take a seat); he makes the first free throw and misses the second, but the loose rebound is tipped right back to Kidd.

He dribbles out to reset the offense, then finds Wright who quickly gets it to Jefferson, and he misses the shot but Go Fix Malik-ey Faucet Allen grabs the offensive rebound. He passes out to Kidd for the three-point attempt, which also misses but Williams is right under the basket to tip it in (12-19 2:40).

Too many second-chance opportunities there, as Boston calls a timeout ... When play resumes, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis gets a chance to throw his weight around on the boards (Scals takes a quick seat back on the bench), while Tony is fouled by Kidd taking the ball to the basket and makes one-of-two free throws (13-19 2:28).

At the other end, Davis fouls Williams at the 2:11 mark trying to keep him out of the paint ... Since Boston is over the limit, Sean takes his place at the line while Kidd takes his seat on the bench as My Other Cousin Darrell Armstrong comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Williams misses both FTs (heh) and Posey grabs the rebound. He hands the ball off to Ray, who dribbles upcourt and Wright tries to stay on him, but fails to see Posey setting the pick and just gets blindsided (almost looked like he suffered whiplash off of that hit). This gives Boston a one-man advantage, with Wright recovering on the floor, as Tony takes it to the basket and scores on the layup (15-19 1:49).

Jefferson then misses a turnaround jumper over Pierce, but Davis fouls Wright going for the rebound; that's "Big Baby's" second already, and Antoine makes one-of-two from the line (15-20 1:22).

At the other end, Pierce makes the pass inside to Tony, but he can't control it and loses the ball out of bounds (Boston's fifth turnover). New Jersey regains possession, as Posey is called for the three-second violation; Jefferson makes the free throw with :58.2 seconds left, and when play resumes Armstrong blows right past Tony for the layup (15-23 :52.8).

Allen is fouled and makes two free throws in the closing moments, as the Celts are in a close game, 17 to 23.

SECOND QUARTER

Doc starts the second quarter with Scals, Davis, Posey, Tony Allen, and Ray Allen ... Scals goes for the three-point attempt and front-rims it, but "Big Baby" grabs the offensive rebound (yay). He takes it back up and misses the putback attempt, but again attacks the glass and looks to tie up Jamaal MaglorieHole underneath the basket. Now, I might be biased, but I would have called that a jump ball. Unfortunately, the refs don't see it my way, and whistle Glen for the foul (his third in just four minutes).

That signals Perk to come back into the game, as New Jersey regains possession and Bostjan Snackbar is left wide open for the trey (17-26 11:22).

Things are lookin dire, as Pierce is back into the game for Ray while Tony misses the three-point shot ... He does get his own rebound, and tries to make the bounce pass inside to Perk, but the ball goes off Jefferson's sneaker out of bounds.

It's still Boston possession, and now Garnett is back in to replace Posey with 10:53 left in the quarter. Meanwhile, Kendrick makes a nice pass to KG who misses the jumper, but Perk nabs the offensive board and quickly scores on the putback (19-26 10:44).

Nachbar then misses, and Pierce collects the rebound; he takes it upcourt himself, then passes to Garnett who swings it around to an open Rondo for the jumpshot (21-26 10:04).

Jefferson buries the "jay" to put New Jersey back up by seven, then KG sets a pick on Armstrong to get Rondo open; he takes the opportunity to drive down the lane, then fakes a pass to Perkins before taking it all the way in to the basket between two defenders for the layup (23-28 9:04).

Not only that, but the refs also call Magliore for the foul, so Rajon has a chance at the three-point play ... Unfortunately, he misses the free throw, and Jamal grabs the rebound. He gets the ball to Kidd who takes it back the other way before passing inside to Nachbar. He's guarded by KG, and the fool tries to make a move around him to get at the basket; Garnett makes him pay by knocking the ball out of his hands. Bostjan recovers and again tries to take it to the rim (a glutton for punishment), but KG once more knocks the ball away and it winds up causing the 24-second violation.

The crowd applauds the defensive intensity exhibited by Garnett, as Boston retains possession and Rondo drives to the basket. Armstrong tries to keep up, but can't stop Rajon from making the crosscourt pass to Kevin for the 15-footer (25-28 8:32).

Darrell is then called for travelling (is that a momentum shift I smell a-comin'?) as Boston regains possession; Pierce tries the fallaway jumper over Kidd, but the shot misses and Magliore collects the rebound. He gives the ball to Jason, who pushes it upcourt and finds Armstrong behind the three-point line; that shot misses, but Kidd grabs the offensive rebound and gets it right back to Darrell, who takes a couple of steps in before burying the jumper (25-30 7:23).

At the other end, Rondo makes a strong move to the basket, but Armstrong steps in and draws the charge; that's Rajon's third foul (uh oh) so Tony comes in with 7:05 remaining to try some minutes at the point. Meanwhile, Magliore shoots up an airball (ha HA!) and Perkins corralls the loose ball; he gives it to Tony, who pushes the ball upcourt and passes inside to KG, where he buries the pullup jumper over Jamal (27-30 6:32).

Kidd then tries to drive to the basket around Tony, but Perkins comes up with the block (yeah!); however, Magliore collects the loose ball, and is fouled by Allen as he tries to go back up for the shot ... That sends the big man to the line with 6:12 left, where he proceeds to miss both free throws!

That's a lucky break, as Pierce takes it in against Nachbar to draw the foul, so he earns a trip to the charity stripe, where he does Jamal one better by making one-of-two free throws (28-30 5:58). Wright then tries to make the pass to Nachbar, but Pierce steps in for the steal and takes it coast to coast for the reverse layup over Nachbar (30-all 5:42).

Kidd and Ray trade baskets, then Jason misses the jumper in the lane but gets his own rebound and goes back in for the shot; he misses again, but the loose rebound winds up in Wright's hands, and he gives the ball back to Kidd who finishes with the alleyoop pass inside to Jefferson for the two-hand slam (32-34 2:38).

At the other end, Ray's pass is picked off by Kidd (that's Boston's tenth turnover), as New Jersey regains possession and Jason finds Jefferson spotting up in the corner where he misses the three-point shot. KG controls the rebound, and gets the ball upcourt to Ray, who passes inside to Perk; he's double-teamed, so he kicks it back out to Tony, and he finds Pierce for the pullup jumper over Jefferson (34-all 1:27).

Now we're cooking, as Kidd passes inside to Krstic and he tries to back down KG, but instead he winds up tripping and falling down (snicker) while Garnett collects the loose ball. He gives it up to Pierce, who takes it coast to coast and tries for the layup but it's partially blocked by Williams; Kidd recovers and now we head back the other way, as he passes to Jefferson who gets the ball inside to Krstic. Nenad then tries to pass it back out to Kidd, but he collides with Richard going for the ball (!) and loses control of it.

Sloppy play, as Perk picks up the loose ball and passes upcourt to Tony, who has a wide-open path to the basket and Wright has to wrap him up to prevent the layup. That puts Allen at the line with 28.4 seconds remaining in the half but he misses both free throws (!) and Williams comes away with the rebound.

He gives the ball to Kidd, who works the clock down before passing to Jefferson ... but he takes a couple extra steps trying to get around Pierce, so he's whistled for the travelling violation!

Boston has a chance to capitalize on that mistake, as they can go for the final shot with eight seconds on the clock ... Tony inbounds the ball to Rondo, who gives it to Pierce as he takes it into the paint and steps back for the fallaway jumper over Armstrong and he knocks it down as the buzzer sounds!

That was easily the worst half of basketball for the Celtics thus far this season. And yet, they still have a two point lead (36-34), which is ... encouraging?

THIRD QUARTER

KG buries the outside shot to open the second half (that's a good way to start things off), while at the other end Wright tries to pass inside to Jefferson but Pierce comes away with the steal. Paul takes it all the way in for the layup attempt when he's fouled by Wright, so that puts him at the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (39-34 11:32).

Jefferson then scores (he's 3-for-10 from the field), but Pierce responds with the nice bounce pass inside to Perk and Kidd has to grab his arms to prevent the easy layup; that gives Kendrick the opportunity to make two foul shots, a feat which he is able to accomplish (41-36 10:51).

Collins then sets a mean pick on Ray that leaves Jefferson open for another jumper, while at the other end Perkins misses the hook shot over Collins and Kidd grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Malik, but his shot is wide of the mark, and Garnett pulls down the loose board. He gives it to Ray to start the fast break, and he passes back to KG who finds Perkins underneath the basket; Kidd comes over for the double team, so Kendrick kicks it out to Rondo for the open jumper (43-38 9:42).

Perk then fouls Collins as he's trying to score, so that puts him at the line, but he misses both freebies (New Jersey is just 5-of-14 shooting free throws tonight!); Garnett collects the rebound and gives it to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and passes to Ray in the paint. His shot attempt is blocked by Wright, but KG gets the loose ball and finds Pierce for the three-pointer (46-38 9:04)!

Now things are starting to heat up, as KG buries the outside "jay" to make it a double-digit lead with 6:47 remaining. Kidd then misses a three-point shot, but Malik gets the offensive board and gives it to Jefferson, who drives down the lane and goes in for the layup attempt. However, that shot also misses, as Perk gets the rebound and makes a fullcourt pass to Rondo who finds Ray wide open behind the three-point line ... Unfortunately, he can't connect (ooh, that would've been big) and KG fouls Jefferson going for the rebound.

Crowd doesn't like the call (that's Kevin's third foul), as New Jersey regains possession, but Kidd misses the pullup jumper. Williams grabs the offensive board, however Ray slaps it out of his hands and Perk comes away with the loose ball. He then makes another fullcourt pass to Rajon, who spins around Kidd and looks to go in for the layup ... Surprisingly, Williams comes in from out of nowhere for the monster left-handed rejection (that even got Cousy excited!).

Wright is able to recover the loose ball, and gets it to Kidd to start the fast break; he passes inside to Malik, but (with KG covering him) he wisely decides to kick it right back out to Kidd for the three-pointer (52-45 5:34).

Rondo answers with the outside jumper that comes precariously close to spinning right out of the rim (Cousy: "What was that, four 360s? It was almost afraid of the dark but then dropped through!"), but then Jefferson is fouled by Ray and makes one-of-two from the line (54-46 4:51).

Disaster then strikes, as KG is slapped with the offensive foul call for hooking Williams while trying to get position in the paint; that's his fourth, so Posey comes into the game and KG sits with 4:38 showing on the clock ... Meanwhile, the Nets regain possession, as Jefferson tries to work the baseline around Pierce and draws the foul (that's Paul's third). Richard gets himself another trip to the line, and this time he makes both free throws (54-48 4:18).

Things aren't going so smoothly all of a sudden, as Pierce back-rims a three-point attempt, and Kidd gets the rebound; he quickly takes it coast to coast and scores over Rondo for his nineteenth points of the night and to bring his team within four (54-50 3:55) ... Rondo - the kid who can't shoot - tries to stem the tide by burying another jumper (10 PTS, 5-7 FG), then Kidd makes the nice pass inside to Jefferson who hits the fallaway "jay" over Pierce (56-52 3:15).

The Nets aren't going away, but Pierce tries to hasten their departure by driving down the lane (to get Williams committed on defense) and then passing to Perkins for the two-hand slam (58-52 2:02). Williams scores, then Ray makes a nice move around Wright and he's forced to foul him, putting Allen at the line for two free throws (60-54 1:29).

Tony scores on a layup with 3.5 seconds left on the clock, then Ray gets a hand on Darrell's inbounds pass and the ball goes off Armstrong and out of bounds. That's New Jersey's 13th turnover (4th of the quarter) as Boston has a chance at the final shot with 2.9 seconds remaining, but Davis has his shot blocked by Williams as time expires ... That means that we're entering the final stanza with the good guys up 62 to 54.

FOURTH QUARTER

At the start of the fourth quarter, Kidd sends an alleyoop pass inside to Williams, but "Big Baby" sails into the picture and blocks the shot! The crowd loves to see that, as Rondo collects the loose ball and heads up the floor, before passing the ball to Tony, and he's fouled by Nachbar underneath the basket. That puts Allen at the line, and he connects on both free throws (64-54 11:25).

Time to step on the other team's throat (as Tommy would say), as Kidd tries to drive to the basket but Posey steps in and draws the offensive foul call! Boston regains possession (to the tune of a loud "Let's Go Celtics!" chant), but Rajon spends a little too much time dribbling as he ends up giving the ball to Tony with just five seconds left on the shot clock. Left with no other options, Allen drives to the basket looking to make something happen ... and Nachbar is actually dumb enough to foul him again! Oh man, that wasn't a wise move, as Tony heads back to the line but only makes one-of-two free throws (65-54 10:50).

However, it's all good, as Ray strips Nachbar of the ball on the very next possession, and Rondo picks up the loose ball; he gets things going up the floor to start the fast break, and passes back to Ray who finds Posey open for the three-point basket (68-54 10:21)!

New Jersey calls a timeout to try and regain its composure, but when play resumes Jefferson misses the three-point attempt (the decibel level might have left him rattled as this place is LOUD); however, Posey tips the loose ball out of bounds. That means that it's still New Jersey possession, and Kidd makes the nice pass inside to Williams for the two-hand dunk (68-56 9:58).

Ray follows that up with a layup (8 PTS, 6 AST), while at the other end Jefferson tries to take the ball inside over Rondo but misses the layup (ha HA!). Unfortunately, Posey again loses the rebound out of bounds ... Pierce takes this opportunity to return to the game at the 8:39 mark (Tony sits down to a nice round of applause), as it's still Nets ball and Jefferson tries to take it inside for the layup. However, he is just enveloped by Davis (it was like poor Richard disappeared), and the refs call "Big Baby" for the foul, putting Jefferson at the line where he makes both free throws (70-58 8:28).

Ray then makes a nice pass inside to Davis, who tries to barrel his way to the basket, but Williams blocks his shot and Armstrong comes away with the loose ball. He gets it upcourt to Kidd who runs right into Posey and knocks him down (no call), but that causes Jason to lose control of the ball and Ray comes over to pick it off. He gets it up ahead to Rondo, and he passes right back to R-Allen for the three-point basket (73-58 8:02).

After another New Jersey timeout (they're really sweatin' it now), Posey ties up Wright and gets the jump ball call ... Antoine wins the tap as the ball goes to Kidd, so he pulls up for the three-point attempt, but the shot misses and Davis grabs the carom (he actually fights Rondo for the rebound - I guess he didn't see who he was - and takes little Rajon down to the ground!). He passes upcourt to Posey, but play is stopped as Wright is yapping a little too much right now and gets slapped with a technical; Ray makes the free throw to give Boston a 16-point lead with 7:28 left in the game.

It's still Celtics ball ... but not for long, as Rondo is called for the double dribble (Boston's 13th turnover). New Jersey is awarded possession, and Posey is called for the foul on Jefferson at the 7:17 mark. This is when KG makes his return to the floor (after a nice long rest) to replace Davis.

Meanwhile, Williams tries to score over Garnett and misses (natch), but Wright comes away with the loose board (New Jersey's 12th offensive rebound) and passes to Kidd; he finds Jefferson in the corner, who makes a bounce pass to Armstrong and he tries to take it in over Pierce. However, Paul will have none of that, as he sends his shot about ten feet back (wow!).

Rondo picks up the loose ball and passes up ahead to Ray; he misses the three-point shot, but KG skies over Wright for the offensive rebound. He then goes up for the layup attempt and misses (not sure what happened there) as Kidd comes away with the rebound ... However, Ray just picks it out of his hands (like an Italian maiden plucking a fresh grape from the vine) and turns back for the layup (76-58 6:24).

Jefferson scores, then Paul makes a nice lob pass inside to Rajon, who's fouled from behind by Kidd while scoring the layup, and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (79-60 5:50).

KG scores on the strong one-hand slam to give Boston a 20-point lead with four minutes remaining, as we can pretty much close the book on this one ... Unfortunately, they still have to finish the game, and Armstrong tries to drive past Tony with 2:36 remaining but is forced to kick the ball out to Nachbar. However, his momentum takes him right into Posey standing underneath the basket, and Darrell's head just bounces off of James' shoulder (that looked nasty); he crumples to the floor as the play continues, and Nachbar goes in for layup and misses as both he and Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels end up falling right on top of poor Darrell!

Scals gets the rebound and passes to Tony, as Nachbar (finally noticing his teammate on the floor) immediately grabs Allen for the foul to stop play. The trainers then come over as Armstrong hasn't moved yet ... Replays show the impact of the collision (Gorman: "He went down like it was a punch"), as Darrell finally is able to leave court under his own power (that's a relief).

Back to the game, as Tony did earn a trip to the line before all that, and makes one-of-two free throws (87-64 2:25).

Williams answers with a basket, then Just Pruitt gets the ball to Tony who makes the bounce pass inside to Powe; his layup attempt comes up short, but Powe is still able to tip it in (whilst surrounded by four Nets players) for the basket (89-66 1:52); nice to see Leon not gripe about losing minutes to "Big Baby" and just going out and playing his game ... and speaking of playing the game, these teams don't have to play this one anymore, as Celts cruise to the 91-69 victory.

FINAL SCORE: Boston 91, New Jersey 69

GAME RATING:


10
PULLING A WIGGUM


BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Garnett: 30 MIN, 16 PTS (8-15 FG), 8 REB, 3 STL
  • Pierce: 38 MIN, 15 PTS (6-10 FG), 3 REB, 3 AST, 2 STL, 1 BLK
  • R. Allen: 38 MIN, 14 PTS (4-14 FG), 6 AST, 5 REB, 4 STL
  • Rondo: 30 MIN, 13 PTS (6-9 FG), 5 AST, 2 TO
  • Perkins: 29 MIN, 10 PTS (3-6 FG), 8 REB, 4 BLK
  • T. Allen: 23 MIN, 13 PTS 3-6 FG, 7-12 FT), 3 REB, 2 AST
NEW JERSEY TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Jefferson: 38 MIN, 21 PTS (7-19 FG), 6 REB, 3 AST
  • Kidd: 36 MIN, 19 PTS (7-18 FG), 9 REB, 7 AST, 5 TO
  • S. Williams: 28 MIN, 14 PTS (5-8 FG), 7 REB, 4 BLK
TONIGHT'S COG (CELT OF THE GAME): Ray Allen

TOMMY QUOTES:
  • "They moved [Sean] Williams, they really waited for him to come and go for the block. A shot blocker, you can use that against him ... like karate!"
POST-GAME NOTES:
  • New Jersey shot just 33 percent (24-72 FG) from the field tonight ... another notch in the C's defense-oriented belt!
  • Six of the eleven Celtics who played tonight scored in double figures.
  • The Nets have now lost three straight (two of those defeats came at the hands of the Celtics), dropping them to .500 (4-4) on the young season.
  • You have to go back over thirty years for the least time Boston has started a season 7-0 ('72-'73)!
  • Rondo was tonight's Tommy Award winner.

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