December 7, 2007
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn ; Gary PoonTanguay and Donny "We Are" Marshall (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
Raptors Starting Lineup: Anthony "Wishes He Was Tony" Parker, TJ "And the Bear" Ford, Rasho Nesterovic's Funky Bowling, Jamario Moon Over Parador, Joey Graham Crackers
The Celts are going for their tenth win at home tonight (it would be the first time they've reached double digits in home wins without a loss since the '84-'85 season) ... and they'll be doing it against a depleted Toronto Raptors club.
Both "Osh Kosh" Chris Bosh and Andrea Left His Bargnani Door Open will be out of action (groin pull and strained knee, respectively), leaving the defending Atlantic Division champions ripe for the picking.
FIRST QUARTER
Graham misses a jumpshot over Garnett to open the game, as Perkins corrals the rebound and sends the ball upcourt to Allen. He tries to dribble around Parker, and (failing that) passes back to Perk, who muscles his way into the paint and scores over Nesterovic (2-0 11:34).
Graham scores again, then Ray misses the three-point attempt, but Rondo comes away with the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Pierce, who buries the trey (5-2 10:26).
At the other end, Ford tries to make the bullet pass inside to Moon, but it's off his fingertips and out of bounds; Boston regains possession, as Allen is left wide open but misses another three-point attempt (he's a quick 0-for-3 to start the game). Graham grabs the rebound and passes upcourt to Ford, who finds Nesterovic in the corner; he tries for the 20-foot jumpshot, but winds up with an airball instead (the Raptors are now shooting 1-for-4 from the field).
Garnett takes the rebound and passes to Allen, as we head back the other way ... He finds Rondo at the top of the key, who slices down the lane before kicking it out to Perkins for the hook shot over Rasho (7-2 9:24).
Nesterovic and Allen trade baskets, then Ford backrims the jumpshot and Ray collects the rebound. He takes it up the floor himself, and tries to lob the pass inside to KG, but Parker gets a hand on it. Ford recovers the loose bal, as we head back the other way, where he finds Parker behind the three-point line. That shot is wide of the mark, however Nesterovic grabs the offensive board and passes out to Ford; he tries to make the bounce pass inside to Moon, but the ball goes off his knee and bounces out of bounds.
That's Toronto's third turnover already, as Boston regains possession ... However, Rondo tries to drive against Ford for the layup, and Jamario is in perfect position for the mighty rejection. Parker corrals the loose ball, and takes it all the way in for the layup (9-6 7:33); Heinsohn: "Now, the choice of Rondo to take that shot, he had three opportunities much better than the one he just took!"
A basket by KG gets the Celts within one, but at the other end Ford is able to elude Rajon with some fancy dribbling and scores on the pullup "jay" (11-8 6:31).
Moon then registers another block (this time on a shot attempt by Pierce) and the ball rolls all the way into the backcourt ... Ford and Parker are the only ones back there, so TJ picks it up and goes in for the uncontested layup (11-10 6:11).
Ray then tries to drive down the lane, but stumbles and ends up missing the shot (another poor start for Allen); Nesterovic grabs the rebound and passes upcourt to Ford, who finds Graham hustling up the floor. He then makes the bounce pass to Parker in the lane for another layup (11-12 5:39).
KG knocks down the turnaround jumper over Rasho to put Boston back ahead, then Moon has his shot partially blocked by Perkins (what's good for the goose 'n all!); Kevin secures the loose ball, then passes to Rondo who heads back the other way. He passes inside to Perk, but he has it stripped away by Graham; Ford picks it up and dribbles coast to coast for the layup attempt.
Luckily, Pierce blocks that shot (yes!) and KG again is in the right spot to collect the loose ball. He passes the ball to Rondo, who dribbles up the floor before pulling up for the 15-foot jumper and buries it (15-12 4:03).
Two free throws by Garnett ups the lead to five with 3:28 remaining in the quarter; at the other end, Graham goes for the hook shot in the paint but Perk is right there with him and rejects it (it's gonna be a block party tonight!) ... Not only that, but the ball ends up going off Graham out of bounds!
Parker Posey makes his initial appearance (replacing the 1-for-5 shooting Ray) at the 3:06 mark, as it's Celtics ball ... He ends up getting fouled by Kris Humphries-Dumphries away from the ball, and (since Toronto is over the limit) heads to the line where he makes both free throws (19-12 2:50).
At the other end, Rondo is called for the silly reach-in foul on Jose CalderonThePhone (who just came into game); Glenn Rivers M.D. decides that another substituion is in order, and gets Hugh Laurie into the game ... He immediately makes his presence felt by stealing the ball from Moon, then takes it upcourt where he goes for the pullup jumpshot and is fouled by Humphries (his third already!); that puts Eddie at the line, where he makes both foul shots (21-12 2:22).
Carlos "Isle" Delfino comes into the game for Humphries (Allan Tony also comes in to replace KG), as Graham finds his way into the paint for a layup to get Toronto within seven. However, Pierce answers by driving on Delfino and scoring with the left hand (23-14 1:50).
Calderon and Pierce trade baskets (Boston is shooting 9-for-18 from the floor thus far), then Graham is called for the offensive foul setting the screen on House. That gives the Celts back possession, as Glen "Macrosomia" Davis comes in for Perk at the 1:14 mark, while Pierce gives the pumpfake to get Moon in the air and draws the contact while hitting the off-balance shot! Impressive, but he can't complete the three-point play as he misses the free throw (27-16 :59.5).
Neither team scores in the final minute, as the Celtics lead remains 27 to 16 at the end of one.
SECOND QUARTER
House, Pierce, Davis, Tony, and Posey start the second quarter, as Eddie scores with the bank shot over Calderon, but Jason BustaKaponoAss quickly answers with the pullup jumper (29-18 11:30).
Pierce then steps out of bounds trying to work the baseline against Moon; Toronto regains possession (as Ray is suddenly off the bench and into the game to replace Paul), and Kapono knocks down the three-pointer to get his team back within single digits (29-21 10:58) ... That also makes this the 715th consecutive game that the Raptors have scored at least one three-point field goal (in case you're interested)!
At the other end, House pulls up over Calderon and buries a trey of his own (tit for tat 'n all that), then Jose misses the 15-footer and Posey comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes to House, who swings the ball around to Tony; he gives the ol' upfake to get Kapono in the air, so decides to take a step forward for the higher-percentage shot (34-21 10:02).
Another basket by House makes it a 15-point lead with 8:03 remaining, then Davis strips Juan Mason-Dixon Line of the ball (nice defense by the big man) and Ray recovers the loose ball. He dribbles coast to coast and takes it all the way in for the layup attempt, but is grabbed by Dixon so has to get his two points from the free-throw line (43-26 7:36).
Graham scores (Toronto is now 4-for-6 shooting from the floor in the quarter), then "Big Baby" commits an offensive foul when his elbow gets a little high while setting a pick on Dixon to free up Ray Allen; that's his second foul, as the Raptors regain possession. However, Moon can't capitalize as he front-rims the jumpshot.
Posey snags the rebound and takes it upcourt himself, before sending a nice bounce pass to Tony in the corner. He drives past Moon and Graham reaches in for the foul, so it's back to the line for two more free throws (45-28 6:48).
Garnett then makes his return to the game (as Davis sits), while Moon backrims the 18-footer (he's hitting everywhere but the middle) and Graham fouls Posey going for the rebound (his third). Boston regains possession, as KG misses the shot, but Ray grabs the offensive board and kicks the ball out to the other Allen. He tries to lob a pass inside to Garnett under the basket, and Kapono is forced to grab him by the arm to prevent the easy layup; so Kevin steps up and makes one-of-two foul shots (46-28 5:57).
Kapono then misses, and Tony gets the carom; he gets the ball upcourt to Ray, who finds KG once again in the paint. He then tries to back down Maceo Baston Celtics, but instead hands it off to House along the baseline, where he misses the layup (Boston is now 6-for-9 shooting in the quarter). However, Ray winds up with the offensive board (he now leads all players with five rebounds) and passes to KG, who gives it right back inside to R-Allen and he scores the layup while being fouled by Kapono! He then makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (49-28 5:10).
Delfino and Garnett trade baskets, then Carlos knocks down a trey to try and get his team's offense going (51-33 4:09). At the other end, Tony tries to spin his way into the paint, but bowls over Baston for the offensive foul call.
The Scals of Justice and Pierce then come into the game with 3:59 remaining (Tony and Posey sit) as Toronto regains possession; Delfino misses the fallaway jumper over Scals, but Parker nabs the offensive rebound. He tries to quickly score on the putback attempt, but his shot is emphatically rejected by KG, and Rondo grabs the loose ball. He heads back the other way and passes to Ray, who feeds the ball inside to Garnett. He gives the pumpfake to fool Baston and draw the foul (Heinsohn: "Garnett should be arrested for abuse!"), which earns him a trip to the charity stripe where he makes both free throws (53-33 3:19).
It's a 21-point advantage with 2:17 left on the clock, when Ford misses the pullup jumper and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He gets the ball to House, who dribbles upcourt before passing inside to Garnett. He's immediately double-teamed, so he passes to Scalabrine cutting down the lane, and Delfino is forced to whack him from behind; Toronto is long since over the limit, so Scals steps to the line and makes two more foul shots (58-35 1:49) ... The Celts have now made 19 of their 22 free-throw attempts, while the Raptors have only been to the line four times (and made three); Tommy must be in heaven right now.
Parker then misses a three-point attempt (how can you get to the free-throw line if you keep jacking up shots from the outside?), but Baston secures the offensive board and kicks it out to Delfino who's able to hit they three-ball (58-38 1:30).
At the other end, KG comes up short on the little hook shot, and Baston gets himself another rebound. He passes to Ford, who dribbles upcourt and tries to kick it out to Parker, but Anthony wasn't expecting it and the ball goes out of bounds (for Toronto's tenth turnover) ... Boston regains possession, and Garnett passes inside to Pierce who is all alone (well, he might've gotten away with a push to take Parker out of the picture) for the layup (60-38 :46.7).
Got nothing to complain about now, as the Celts enter halftime with a 62-40 lead ... And the best thing about it would have to be the team's balanced scoring attack, with four players in double figures: Pierce leading the way with 13 points (5-8 FG), both Garnett (3-7 FG) and Ray Allen with eleven apiece, and House coming off the bench for ten (2-3 3PTers).
THIRD QUARTER
Garnett hits the pullup jumper over Nesterovic to open the second half, then Ford tries to make the bounce pass to Graham that bounces right past him and out of bounds (heh); Boston regains possession, as KG again pulls up over Steven A. Smith's favorite player and buries the 18-footer (64-40 10:50)!
Kevin scores yet again (poor Rasho) to make it a 28-point lead, as Toronto is forced to call for time; when play resumes, Rondo plays some nice defense and knocks the ball away from Kapono. Pierce picks it up and gets it right back to Rajon, who goes coast to coast and takes it right at Ford for the layup (70-40 9:55)! Man, I'm just about ready to wraps things up right now ...
The Raptors answer with a 7-2 run to try and make a game of it (snickers), when Moon is whistled for the foul as he's holding KG underneath the basket with 7:40 showing on the clock. It's still too early for free throws, so Rondo inbounds the ball to Kevin, who winds up with both Jamario and Delfino covering him. However, that doesn't stop Number Five from throwing down the wicked one-hand slam over Moon (74-47 7:38)! The Celts are now 6-of-7 from the field in the quarter (with KG a perfect 5-for-5); wow.
A basket by Ford makes it a 23-point game with five minutes left in the quarter, then Parker steals the ball from Pierce as we head back the other way; he passes to Ford, who finds Delfino in the corner for the three-point attempt that winds up being an airball (ha HA!). Garnett grabs the rebound and makes a fullcourt pass to Tony, who tries to take it in for the layup but Graham strips him from behind. Delfino recovers the loose ball and gets it to Ford, who tries to pass it to Parker but Anthony's foot is out of bounds (which means yet another turnover for them).
Raptors might as well pack it in, it's not happening for them tonight, as KG is covered by Graham but has no problem knocking down the turnaround "jay" (80-55 4:01); he's still perfect (6-6 FG). At the other end, Delfino throws a bad pass that Pierce easily picks off, then dribbles the length of the floor and Graham is forced to tie him up; that puts Paul at the line, where he makes both foul shots (82-55 3:46).
During the stoppage of play, "Big Baby" comes in to replace KG, as he sits to an extended round of applause (23 PTS, 9-13 FG) ... Pierce hits a trey as the shot clock expires to make it a 30-point lead with 2:54 left in the quarter, while at the other end Graham tries to back down Davis in the paint but winds up dribbling the ball off his own foot and out of bounds (pathetic). Boston regains possession, and Posey is left wide open for his own three-point shot (88-55 2:16)!
Graham then front-rims a jumpshot, and Pierce collects the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Davis, who kicks it back out to Posey at the top of the key. Great ball movement (that's what she said), as James swings it around to Rondo, who finds Tony all alone in the corner and he buries another three-ball (91-55 1:45)!
Ain't life grand? Especially when your favorite team holds a 36-point lead (91-55) heading into the fourth ...
FOURTH QUARTER
Scalabrine, "Big Baby", House, Posey, and T-Allen are on the floor to start the final quarter ... and unless something catastrophic happens here, I think I'll keep my transcriptions down to the bare minimum.
Let's see, Scals hits a trey with 7:40 remaining to make it a 39-point advantage (and gets a pretty loud "Scal-ah-BREE-nee!" chant started), as that pretty much seals the deal here ... Garbage time makes the final score somewhat "closer" (if you can call it that), as the Celtics prevail 112 to 84!
FINAL SCORE: Boston 112, Toronto 84
GAME RATING:
19
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Garnett: 24 MIN, 23 PTS (9-13 FG), 6 REB
- Pierce: 28 MIN, 18 PTS (6-12 FG), 6 AST, 5 REB, 2 BLK
- R. Allen: 26 MIN, 13 PTS (4-11 FG), 6 REB
- House: 23 MIN, 13 PTS (4-10 FG)
- Posey: 27 MIN, 10 PTS (3-5 FG), 10 REB, 3 AST
- Rondo: 24 MIN, 7 PTS (3-5 FG), 7 AST, 1 TO, 5 REB, 2 STL
- Parker: 27 MIN, 13 PTS (6-13 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 5 REB, 4 STL
- Graham: 33 MIN, 12 PTS (4-11 FG), 6 REB
- Ford: 21 MIN, 12 PTS (5-9 FG), 3 AST
POST-GAME NOTES:
- The Celtics limited Toronto to just 42 percent shooting (34-80 FG), and outrebounded them 53 to 35.
- The Raptors have now lost nine of their last eleven meetings in Boston.
- KG was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
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