December 8, 2007
8:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
United Center (Chicago, IL)
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
Bulls Starting Lineup: Hinrich Maneuver, Gordon Shumway, Ben Wallace and Gromit, God-Deng, "Generic Name" Smith
The "Not Big Three" got some much-needed rest last night, knocking the Toronto Raptors out early ... They'll need that extra energy tonight against the 6-11 Bulls, as the Celts have lost their last eight meetings versus Chicago.
That losing streak isn't at San Antonio-level proportions just yet, but (in case you haven't noticed) things are a little different this season, so let's see if our guys can put an end to this little skid against Ben Wallace and his bunch.
FIRST QUARTER
Wallace wins the opening tip against Perkins, as Hinrich winds up with the ball; he passes to Deng, who drives down the lane before kicking it back out to Kirk for the three-pointer (0-3 11:41).
Pierce tries to answer with a trey of his own, but comes up short and Big Ben hauls down his first rebound. He passes to Hinrich, who dribbles up the floor, then finds Gordon for the pullup jumper over Rondo (0-5 11:11).
At the other end, Rajon is left wide open after a nice screen set by KG on Gordon, but winds up shooting an airball (!) and Perk fouls Wallace going for the rebound. Chicago regains possession, and Gordon makes a nice pass inside to Smith, but he misses the hook shot over Kendrick and Pierce comes away with the rebound.
He takes it upcourt himself, then tries to pass inside to Garnett, but Gordon steps in for the steal (oh my). So, we head back the other way, as Benny the Bull takes it strong to the basket and is fouled by Perkins; that's his second already, so Glen "Macrosomia" Davis makes an early appearance to replace him, while Gordon makes one-of-two from the line (0-6 10:22).
Allen buries a three-pointer to finally get Boston in the scoring column, then Gordon front-rims the jumpshot and Wallace knocks the loose rebound out of bounds. It's Celtics' ball, as Ray makes a nice bounce pass inside to Davis, where he's fouled by Smith and proceeds to make both of his free throws (5-6 8:24).
Deng then boots a pass from Gordon (sloppy), and Ray hustles to pick up the loose ball and starts the 3-on-1 Celtics fast break ... He passes to Pierce, who unselfishly gives it up to Rondo for the open layup (7-6 8:05).
Kirk and Rajon trade baskets, then Gordon is whistled for the travelling violation, so Boston regains possession and Rondo finds KG wide open in the corner for the deep jumper (11-8 6:26).
A basket by Gordon gets the Bulls back within one, but at the other end KG has Smith guarding him so he gives the pumpfake to free up some space and knocks down the pullup "jay" (13-10 5:46).
Hinrich then misses, and "Big Baby" grabs the rebound (his third). He passes to Ray, who dribbles upcourt and tries to drive down the lane but runs right into the double-team; thinking quickly, he passes out to Rondo, who pulls up for the 15-footer and buries it (15-10 5:25).
Chicago calls for a timeout, and when play resumes Joakim "HRG" Noah sees his first action of the night ... Noah proceeds to make a nice pass inside to Wallace, but all he can do with it is airball the hook shot (ha HA!). Ben gets wrapped up by Pierce going for the loose rebound, and the refs actually call for a jump ball (looked like a foul on Paul to me); Wallace does win the tap, however, and gets the ball out to Deng who buries the jumper (15-12 3:29).
Rondo then has his shot blocked by Big Ben, and Deng recovers the loose ball. He dribbles the length of the court and spins around Pierce to go in for the layup; nice move, but his shot rims out and Davis snags the rebound. He passes to Pierce as we head back the other way, and Paul swings the ball around to Ray, who takes a pick from "Big Baby" to lose Deng and (in the ensuing confusion) passes back out to Pierce open behind the three-point line.
The shot misses, however, and Noah grabs the carom. He makes a fullcourt pass to Gordon, who has only Rajon to beat, but settles for the pullup jumper and his shot spins in and out of the rim (so close). KG pulls down the loose board, and passes up ahead to Pierce, who finds Davis underneath the basket for the layup (17-12 2:26).
Gordon then drives to the basket and knocks down Ray before he banks in the shot (Heinsohn: "That was an old Michael Jordan play, you push the guy outta the way and then shoot a fallaway jumper ... and get away with it!"). At the other end, Pierce drives to the basket and misses the layup, but Davis secures the offensive board. However, he's stripped by Noah, who proceeds to get the ball to Hinrich, and he finds Gordon in the corner where he pulls up over Ray and buries the outside shot (17-16 1:29).
On the Celtics' next possession, KG works his way along the baseline as the defense collapses on him, so he passes to Davis for the wide-open layup with 1:07 left in the quarter. Noah then backrims a jumpshot (Gorman: "Boy, that's an ugly-looking shot") and Garnett takes care of the rebound. He passes upcourt to Pierce, who takes it all the way to the rim again, and this time draws the foul on Wallace. So, he takes his place at the line and knocks down both free throws (21-16 :37.3).
Gordon makes two of his own foul shots with 25 seconds on the clock, as we have a tight contest (21-18) at the end of one ... Boston has the edge in shooting thus far (8-17 FG, 1-4 3PTers) compared to Chicago (7-22 FG, 1-3 3PTers), but have committed five turnovers compared to just two for the Bulls. Also, the captain Paul Pierce is off to a slow start (2 PTS, 0-4 FG); we'll have to keep an eye on him and see if things can't improve.
SECOND QUARTER
Celts start the quarter with Davis, Parker Posey, Hugh Laurie, Ray Allen, and the other Allen (Allan Tony) ... In their first possession, Noah is called for the defensive 3-second violation; Ray makes the free throw, and it's still Celtics' ball as R-Allen has his jumpshot blocked by Andres Nocioni-Link, but Posey grabs the loose ball right underneath the basket and scores with ease (24-18 11:42).
Nocioni then misses the three-point attempt, and "Big Baby" grabs the rebound (his sixth). He finds House up the floor, who passes to Ray and he proceeds to drive down the lane between two defenders and draws the foul on Put the Sefolosha in the Basket; that earns him a place at the line, where he makes both free throws (26-18 11:08).
Hinrich then scores, while at the other end Ray misses the three-point attempt, but Tony grabs the offensive board and is fouled from behind by Nocioni going for the putback. He makes one-of-two from the line to give Boston the seven-point advantage (27-20 10:39).
Wallace comes back into the game at this point for Noah, as Hinrich makes the nice pass inside to Big Ben and Posey paws at his face trying to strip him of the ball (ouch). The refs whistle for the foul, as Wallace steps to the charity stripe (always a tentative situation), but he is able to make one of them (27-21 10:28).
Posey then misses the three-point attempt, as Wallace goes up high for the rebound and passes to Pass the Duhon on the Left-Hand Side, who dribbles upcourt before passing inside to Nocioni. He tries to back down Posey, however House sneaks in for the steal and heads back the other way for the fast break. He attempt to pass inside to Posey cutting down the lane, but James fumbles the ball out of bounds (sixth turnover for Boston); Chicago regains possession, and Nocioni scores on the 18-footer (27-23 9:32).
Posey buries a trey to get the lead back up to seven with 9:01 remaining in the half, but Nocioni answers with another outside shot (30-25 8:49).
Tony then runs right into his teammate Davis trying to make a move to the basket, and loses the ball during the collision (d'oh!); Nocioni picks up the loose ball and heads back the other way, as Posey tries to step in and stop his forward progress, but Andres just spins away from him (nice move) and takes it to the basket. Luckily, "Big Baby" is the next one to get in his face, and this time is able to draw the offensive foul (nice work, rookie!).
Boston regains possession, but Ray ends up getting stripped by Hinrich ... He takes it coast to coast and looks to have the easy layup, but Posey sails into view and gets the (seemingly) spectacular block; unfortunately, the refs call it a foul (Heinsohn: "That was a case of the officials lolly-gagging it!"), so Kirk heads to the line and makes both free throws (30-27 7:43).
KG and Perk come back into the game at this point (Davis and Posey sit), while House misses the three-point attempt and Smith comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Hinrich, who finds Deng underneath the basket, and he's able to score the basket while being fouled by Tony Allen; one free throw later, and we have ourselves a tied ballgame (30-all 7:10).
It's not looking good, as Perkins throws a pass intended for Ray out of bounds (Boston's eighth turnover) and Chicago gets a chance to take the lead ... However, Smith misses the jumpshot and Rondo controls the rebound; we head back the other way, as Kendrick again tries to pass the ball to Ray (this one connects) and he makes a move for the basket when Hinrich commits the foul. That puts Allen at the line, where he makes both free throws (32-30 6:30); Ray is now the team's leading scorer with eight points (5-5 FT).
A basket by Smith ties the game once again, then Tony backrims the jumper and Hinrich grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Deng, who misses the outside shot, but Smith hauls down the offensive board and kicks it out to Gordon. He proceeds to take the ball into the paint and pulls up (with Ray right on him) and buries the jumper (32-24 5:40).
Not only that, but the refs also whistle Allen for the foul (Heinsohn again states "he's got the old Michael Jordan move, nudge with the elbow and the forearm"), so Ben heads to the line with a chance at the three-point play ... Pierce comes back into the game, as the free throw misses (yay!) and KG collects the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and makes a nice spin move on Gordon (who's totally confused and has no idea where Rajon is) to get to the basket. However, Wallace is right there waiting for him, so (rather than get his shot blocked) he kicks it out to a wide-open Ray for the three-pointer (35-34 5:20)!
Smith hits another jumpshot to put the Bulls back ahead, then Rondo ends up getting his layup attempt blocked from behind by Gordon; Wallace picks up the loose ball and gets it to Hinrich, who finds Deng in the paint for the too-easy layup (35-38 4:36).
Rondo scores off the nice feed from Garnett, then Wallace tries to pass inside to Gordon but ends up throwing the ball out of bounds; Boston regains possession, and KG sets the screen on Gordon to give Rajon an open path to the basket. Deng comes over to try and stop him, but Rondo throws a little stutter-step at him (totally faking him out) and takes it in for the layup (39-38 3:53); Rajon is now in double figures (10 PTS, 5-8 FG).
At the other end, Perkins blocks a shot by Smith, and Rondo comes away with the loose ball. He dribbles back up the floor, then passes to Pierce, who finds Perk underneath the basket and he scores on the fallaway jumper over Big Ben (41-38 3:22).
A bucket by Smith (I didn't realize he was such an offensive weapon for Chicago) cuts the lead to one with two minutes left in the half. The Bulls then try to throw a double-team at Pierce to force the turnover, but Paul calmly kicks the ball out to Garnett for the open 20-footer (43-40 1:34); KG now has six points (3-5 FG).
Things are looking good, as Rondo ALMOST steals the ball from Hinrich ... Unfortunately, Wallace is able to recover the loose ball, and sends it to Kirk for the three-pointer (43-all 1:09); dangit.
The Celts don't mope around over the lost opportunity, however, as KG quickly sends a fullcourt inbounds pass to Rondo hustling up the floor. He's able to elude Gordon, and scores on the layup to put Boston back ahead (all in the span of about five seconds!). Deng then has his shot blocked by Garnett (who let's out an audible "Get that shit outta here!"); Big Ben is again able to pick up the loose ball, and kicks it out to Hinrich behind the three-point line, but this time his shot comes up empty. Pierce grabs the rebound and takes it upcourt himself, then makes the nice pass to Perkins along the baseline, where he's able to score on the layup (47-43 :30.3).
The C's were definitely able to swing the momentum in their favor during that final minute, as they maintain a 47-43 lead at halftime ... Boston continues to holding the advantage in the shooting department, having the same number of field goals made (17-33 FG) as Chicago, but in far fewer attempts (17-42 FG).
THIRD QUARTER
A three-pointer by Ray puts Boston back up seven at the 11-minute mark of the third quarter ... but Perk then commits the foul on Smith (once again Chicago's only offensive option, it seems) and he heads to the line for two free throws (50-45 10:49).
At the other end, Pierce buries the baseline jumper with Deng right in his face - that's his first field goal of the night (4 PTS, 1-5 FG)! - to get the lead back up to seven. Deng tries to answer, but misses the hook shot over Perk, and KG nabs the rebound (his sixth).
He passes to Paul, who dribbles upcourt and blows right past Deng to get into the paint. He winds up getting triple-teamed underneath the basket (wow, you make one shot and suddenly the entire defense zeroes in on you!), so he makes the nice pass inside to Perkins and Hinrich is forced to foul him from behind.
That puts Kendrick at the line with 10:08 on the clock, but he misses both free throws (!) and Wallace grabs the rebound. He gets the ball to Hinrich, who takes it back the other way before dishing it to Smith spotting up in the corner. He then makes the bounce pass inside to Big Ben, where he's fouled by Perk but still manages to throw up the awkward-looking hook shot ... and it still goes in! That's Perkins' fourth foul, so Davis comes back into the game while Ben steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (52-48 9:52).
It's still a four-point game with 7:40 remaining, when Pierce backrims the jumpshot, but "Big Baby" grabs the offensive board (his ninth rebound!) and kicks it out to Rondo. He passes to Ray, who slices down the lane and tries to make the extra pass to Pierce ... Should've gone for the shot, as Gordon intercepts it and takes it back the other way.
He tries to score over KG, but Kevin is able to bother the shot and Pierce winds up with the rebound. He makes the fullcourt pass to Rondo, who fakes a pass to Allen in the corner (he saw what happened the last time) but instead pulls up over Smith for the 15-footer (56-50 6:50); that's right Rajon, you keep shooting (14 PTS, 7-11 FG)!
Another basket by Rondo (see?) makes it an eight-point lead with 5:30 remaining. Gordon then misses the shot, and KG tips the loose rebound out to Rajon. He dribbles upcourt, then dishes to Pierce, who makes a nice pass inside to Davis for the layup ... Wait wait, waive off the basket, as Paul knocked down Nocioni in the paint before making the pass, so the refs have no choice but to call the offensive foul.
Chicago regains possession, and Deng tries to bank in the shot over Ray but comes up short ... Unfortunately, Garnett and Pierce battle each other for the rebound, and end up knocking it out of bounds (d'oh!). That gives the Bulls another chance to score, as Nocioni gives the upfake to try and get KG in the air, but Kevin is still able to block the shot big time out of bounds!
Great play, as Andres (obviously rattled) misses the short jumper and Pierce snags the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who takes it upcourt before finding Ray in the corner. Stymied by Chicago's defense, he gives it back to Rajon, who passes over to KG and he swings it around to Pierce behind the three-point line; he gives the upfake to get Nocioni in the air, and it looks like Andres gets a piece of him, but the refs' whistles remain silent as Paul misses badly and the shot clock goes off.
Chicago again regains possession, as Gordon misses the layup attempt, but Wallace is right there to dunk in the miss (58-52 3:59) ... Ray answers with a three-pointer, then Pierce strips Nocioni of the ball and goes coast to coast where he's fouled by Gordon going for the layup; that sends him to the line, where he makes both free throws (63-52 3:16).
Deng scores on the dunk to get the Bulls within single digits, then Posey misses the three-point attempt but Davis grabs the offensive board over two Bulls players (his eleventh) and scores on the putback (65-54 2:44).
Nocioni and Rondo trade baskets, then Andres misses the three-point attempt (Chicago is just 5-for-19 shooting in the quarter) but Rajon loses the rebound out of bounds ... The Bulls get one more chance, and this time Nocioni takes it to the basket for the layup (67-58 1:30).
Ray then misses the three-point attempt, and Nocioni goes up strong for the rebound; he passes upcourt to Duhon, who takes it right into Davis' chest and knocks him down. Sadly, the refs call the foul on "Big Baby" (his third) so Duhon heads to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (67-59 :54.6).
Two free throws by Pierce with 30 seconds left make it a double-digit lead once again, as we head into the final quarter with the C's up 69 to 59 ... Boston is now shooting 50 percent from the floor (25-50 FG), including 5-for-15 from three-point land. Chicago, meanwhile, is down at 37 percent (23-63 FG) and just 2-for-9 in the three's department.
FOURTH QUARTER
Nocioni scores on the jumpshot to open the quarter, while at the other end Rondo is called for the offensive foul barrelling into Andres. So, Chicago regains possession, but Davis winds up with the steal on Deng (BIG BABY!), and gets the ball to Rondo. He heads back the other way, then passes to House, who swings the ball around to Posey open behind the three-point line.
His shot misses, however Rondo grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Pierce, who tries to make the bullet pass to Posey (now open underneath the basket) but Nocioni tips it away and Hinrich grabs the loose ball. He heads up the floor and passes to Noah, who launches a three-point attempt that misses badly. Posey grabs the rebound and passes to Rondo, who slowly makes his way up the floor ... but a bit too slow, as the refs whistle him for the rare 8-second violation!
Can't let that happen, as the Bulls regain possession (KG comes back into the game at this point for Davis) and Nocioni winds up with the three-pointer (69-64 9:52)! Posey answers with a trey of his own to quiet the crowd, then Garnett rejects the layup attempt by Nocioni. However, Andres grabs the loose ball with five seconds left on the shot clock, and is forced to take an off-balance jumpshot that's wide of the mark; Rondo comes away with the loose rebound, then finds KG who hits the turnaround jumper over Wallace (74-64 8:30).
Two free throws by Hinrich (his first points of the second half) cut the Celts' lead to eight, then Garnett tries to back down Wallace as Kirk comes over for the double-team. Undeterred, he kicks it out to House who buries another three-ball (77-66 7:53).
Hinrich and Ray Allen trade baskets, then Deng makes the nice pass inside to Wallace for the two-hand slam (79-70 6:21) ... The crowd is trying to get behind their players, but KG remains unfazed and buries the tough fallaway "jay" with Big Ben all over him (81-70 6:02).
This prompts a Chicago timeout, and when play resumes Pierce is back in the game. Meanwhile, Gordon tries to make the bounce pass inside to Smith, but the ball bounces right past him and out of bounds (Heinsohn: "That was the worst pass I've seen all night! I don't know how anybody was going to catch that, even the ballboy couldn't catch that!") ... Boston regains posssession, as Garnett buries another jumper (14 PTS, 7-10 FG) while Wallace knocks Posey to the floor trying to get at Number Five; that puts James at the line, where he makes the free throw for an unusual three-point play (84-70 5:42).
But that's not all, as Pierce steals a pass from Hinrich and gets the ball upcourt to Ray, who has just Nocioni and Wallace on him with Posey close behind for the 2-on-2 fast break ... He gives it up to James, who takes it to the basket and both defenders are forced to commit to him. However, Posey still manages to make the spectacular pass to Allen for the layup (86-70 5:25)!
That might be the final nail in the Bulls' coffin ... However, Deng scores, then KG is called for the travelling violation. Chicago gets a chance to make some noise, but Gordon misses the shot (the Bulls are just 11-for-33 shooting in the second half!); unfortunately, the loose rebound is tipped out to Deng, and he finds Nocioni wide open behind the three-point line. That winds up being an airball (ha HA!), but Deng is right underneath the basket for the loose ball and lays it in (86-74 4:08).
Pierce then misses the three-point attempt, and Gordon secures the rebound. He takes it the length of the floor and pulls up for the outside jumpshot, which is wide of the mark, but Deng grabs another offensive board and is fouled by Posey trying to score on the putback. He steps to the line and clanks the first free throw (KG shows off his soccer skills by headbutting the ball to the referee off the miss, which gets a chuckle out of Tommy) but makes the second to get Chicago within eleven (86-75 3:37).
The headbutt was amusing, but what I don't find funny is how the Celtics are finishing off this game ... Boston launches up three three-point attempts (two by Posey) over the next minute and a half, with Heinsohn imploring the troops to stay aggressive and attack the basket. Meanwhile, Nocioni buries the open 12-footer to get the Bulls back within single digits (86-77 1:50).
Ray then tries another three-point shot and comes up short (ugh); Hinrich grabs the rebound and sends it upcourt to Deng, who drives down the lane (see, it's called taking it to the basket!) and is fouled by Rondo. So, he earns a trip to the charity stripe and makes one-of-two free throws (86-78 1:24).
Heinsohn can only respond by saying "This disturbs me right now, honest to goodness ... Get to the line or get layups at this stage. Drive to the hoop, be aggressive! Threes at this stage, no, please no!"
At the other end, Ray tries to drive along the baseline (better) but steps out of bounds (d'oh!) ... Chicago regains possession, as Nocioni again takes it to the basket, where he's fouled by Garnett while scoring the basket and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (86-81 :57.9); sheesh.
No timeout for the Celts, as Rondo brings it up the floor and finds Pierce, who passes to KG and he buries the turnaround jumper over Wallace with 37.2 seconds remaining in the game (yes!) ... Okay, it might finally be time to exhale again.
Chicago calls for time, and when play resumes Gordon has his layup attempt blocked by Posey (wheee!); James controls the loose ball, and Hinrich is forced to foul him. That puts Posey at the line, where he makes both free throws (90-81 :30.9).
Nocioni tries to quickly score, but bricks the three-point attempt, and KG secures the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who's immediately grabbed by about three Bulls players, so he goes to the line and makes both of his foul shots (92-81 :20.3).
Turn out the lights, the party's over ... Gordon misses a three-pointer in the closing moments, as Posey grabs the rebound and Chicago doesn't bother to foul. The final buzzer sounds, and the C's escape with a "closer than it should've been" 92 to 81 victory.
FINAL SCORE: Boston 92, Chicago 81
GAME RATING:
12
PULLING A WIGGUM
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- R. Allen: 43 MIN, 21 PTS (6-16 FG, 4-10 3PTers, 5-5 FT), 3 REB, 3 AST
- Rondo: 42 MIN, 18 PTS (9-13 FG), 7 REB, 5 AST, 1 TO
- Garnett: 37 MIN, 16 PTS (8-11 FG), 9 REB, 7 BLK, 3 AST
- Posey: 21 MIN, 11 PTS (3-8 FG, 2-7 3PTers), 4 REB
- Pierce: 38 MIN, 10 PTS (1-8 FG, 0-4 3PTers, 8-8 FT, 7 AST, 6 TO, 6 REB, 2 STL
- Davis: 26 MIN, 8 PTS (3-3 FG), 12 REB, 1 STL
- Nocioni: 24 MIN, 18 PTS (8-19 FG, 1-7 3PTers), 3 REB, 2 STL
- Hinrich: 43 MIN, 16 PTS (5-11 FG), 6 AST, 3 STL
- Deng: 40 MIN, 15 PTS (6-17 FG), 7 REB, 4 AST
- Wallace: 40 MIN, 8 PTS (3-7 FG), 14 REB, 3 AST
TOMMY QUOTES:
- "[Thabo Sefolosha comes into game] He's from Switzerland ... I wonder if he yodels? Ricola!"
- "There's something similar about him, alright, to the redhead in Newton ... Needham! I moved her, she's got a Newton soul [Gorman: 'I just didn't want people to think you had one in Newton and one in Needham!']"
- The Bulls shot just 36 percent from the floor (31-86 FG, 3-16 3PTers), compared to 52 percent (33-64 FG) for the Celtics.
- Boston did have 17 turnovers, though (Chicago managed just nine).
- The C's are now a league-best 17-2, winners of six straight ... yeehaw!
- With this win, they have also improved their record to 6-19 all-time at the United Center.
- Ben Gordon went scoreless in the second half (0-10 FG).
- Glen Davis was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- Boston now gets a bit of a rest, with only one game (at home against Sacramento) in the next six days ...
- Snifter of Brandon Wallace suffered a wrist injury during his time with the NBDL's Utah Flash ... We'll see how this affects his chances of staying on within the Celtics organization (he's reaching the deadline where the C's will either guarantee his contract for the entire season or let him loose).
- It was Italian Night at the United Center ... Mama mia (youtube.com)!
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