December 14, 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: Allan Tony, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Bucks Starting Lineup: Until I'm Michael Redd in the Face, Mo "Your Role" Williams, Andrew "Humphrey" Bogut, Yi-I-Yi-I-Oh!, Desmondo-Gecko Mason
One starter returns, while another goes down.
After dropping a bed on his foot, Perkins returns to the lineup tonight ... However, Rayden will not be in uniform (sore ankle).
Considering his history of ankle surgeries, one would be inclined to hit the "panic" button over such news ... However, the Celtics' higher-ups are swearing up and down that this is nothing serious, and the club is just giving the ol' guy some rest as a precautionary measure.
In any event, Glenn Rivers M.D. will sub one "Allen" for another, as Tony gets the nod as our starting shooting guard.
FIRST QUARTER
Perkins wins the opening tap against Bogut, getting the ball to Rondo. He passes to Garnett, who swings it around to Pierce, and he takes it right at the rim but misses the shot. Williams grabs the rebound and dribbles up the floor, then passes inside to Bogut (who looks weird with the shaved head) where he tries to score over Perk. That shot comes up short, and Pierce pulls down the loose board, as he heads back the other way and finds KG for the outside jumper (2-0 11:18).
Redd then inbounds to Williams, who tries to bring the ball upcourt, but Rajon slaps it away and finds Tony under the basket, who's fouled from behind by Yi, so it's to the line for two free throws (4-0 11:06).
Mason then scores, while at the other end Rondo tries to make the bounce pass inside to Perkins, but there's a little too much mustard on it and the ball bounces out of bounds; Milwaukee regains possession, and Williams is left open for the three-pointer (4-5 10:13).
Pierce pulls up over Mason for the jumper to put Boston back ahead, then Williams tries to pass inside to Bogut, but he can't make the catch and the ball goes out of bounds; now Boston takes possession off of the turnover, as Allen tries to take it inside against Bogut, but can't connect. Williams controls the loose rebound, and takes it coast to coast for the layup (6-7 9:08).
Paul knocks down a trey to put the C's up two, then Rondo plays some good defense on Williams at halfcourt and forces him to lose control of the ball; Yi tries to recover, but is called for the backcourt violation. That makes it Celtics' ball, as KG buries the 20-footer (11-7 8:18).
Two free throws by Rondo make it a six-point advantage with 6:30 remaining, while at the other end Redd tries to back down Allen but instead dribbles the ball off his foot and out of bounds (the Bucks' fifth turnover already). Boston regains possession, and Pierce knocks down the pullup "jay" with ease (17-9 6:12).
Bogut quickly scores, then Paul tries to make the crosscourt pass to Rondo but Williams steps in for the steal; he again motors up the floor and takes it all the way in for the layup (17-13 5:27) ... With four minutes remaining in the quarter, Williams misses the outside shot, but Yi grabs the offensive board and tries to go right back up and score. Now, Pierce appears to cleanly slap the ball out of his hands, yet the refs call him for the foul (boo); the big man steps to the line and makes both free throws to get Milwaukee within two (17-15 4:01).
KG scores (8 PTS, 4-4 FG), then Bogut makes the nice pass inside to "Sports Guy" Bobby Simmons for the layup (19-17 3:13); the Bucks are shooting a scorching 70 percent (7-10 FG) from the floor thus far!
Pierce then misses (he's shooting just 3-for-8 from the field), and at the other end Bogut throws up an airball (ha HA!) but Yi is in perfect position for the offensive board and putback (19-all 1:32).
Rondo finds Garnett for another basket (Rajon's fourth assist), then Yi misses the jumpshot and KG secures the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who dribbles up the floor, and Williams backs off of him so Rajon pulls up and knocks down the 15-foot jumper (23-19 :33.9).
Tony is called for the foul trying to guard Redd with 23.2 seconds on the clock; that's his second, so Doc takes the opportunity to make some wholesale substitions as Glen "Macrosomia" Davis, Hugh Laurie, and Parker Posey all come into the game (Perk and Pierce remain on the floor) ... "Big Baby" immediately fouls Yi, so he heads back to the line for two more free throws (23-21 :21.2).
During the stoppage of play, Rondo comes back into the game (replacing Perk) for the final possession ... It's a good thing too, as Rajon makes the sweet crossover dribble to freeze Charlie Bell-Biv-DeVoe and goes in for the layup with just 1.3 seconds left!
That makes the score 25 to 21, Celtics, after one ...
SECOND QUARTER
The Scals of Justice joins House, Posey, Davis, and Rondo to start the quarter ... Meanwhile, a basket by Simmons gets Milwaukee within two. House then misses the three-point attempt, and Williams comes away with the rebound; he passes upcourt to Bell, who pulls up for the three-point attempt of his own. That misses, but Scals fouls Simmons going for the rebound.
The Bucks retain possession, and Rajon is whistled for the foul on Williams with 10:24 on the clock; that's his second, so Pierce comes back into the game to replace him. However, he misses a defensive assignment and Jake Voskhul and the Gang is left open for the jumper (27-all 10:12).
Posey then backrims the three-point shot, and Voskhul comes away with the rebound. He passes to Redd, who dribbles upcourt, then passes to Mason in the corner; he drives to the basket and tries to elevate up over Davis for the one-hand dunk but just creams him (the parquet floor shuddered as "Big Baby" hit the deck) ... Davis was standing outside of the circle, however, so he's called for the blocking foul. Boston is over the limit, so Mason heads to the line for a chance to put the Bucks ahead; he misses the first free throw, then rims out the second, but Posey is called for the lane violation (d'oh!). That gives him one more try, and this time he makes it (27-28 8:56).
At the other end, Pierce misses the jumpshot over Redd, but Davis grabs the offensive rebound and kicks the ball out to Scals, who finds House open for the trey (30-28 8:27)!
Charlie SmallVillenueva scores on the hook shot over "Big Baby" to again tie the score, then House misses the fallaway jumper and Villenueva secures the rebound. He passes upcourt to Redd, who sends it right back to Charlie and he banks in the shot off glass (30-32 7:15).
Pierce quickly answers with a basket, then Mason tries to make a move around Scals but dribbles the ball off his foot ... That's another Milwaukee turnover, as Davis winds up getting fouled by Bell going for the loose ball with 6:32 on the clock.
Perkins and Garnett come back into the game at this point (Scals and "Big Baby" take a seat), while House uses the pumpfake to lose Bell and hits the floater in the lane (34-32 5:41).
Perkins then blocks a layup attempt by Redd (the Milwaukee bench wanted a goaltending call) and Posey recovers the loose ball; he takes it back the other way and tries to make a pass to Perk cutting down the lane, but Villanueva slaps it away and Bell recovers. He then makes a fullcourt pass to Redd, who scores on the layup while being fouled by Posey, so Michael gets his revenge as he heads to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (34-35 5:17).
Allen comes back into the game to replace Posey at this point, while Pierce misses the shot and Villanueva gets himself another rebound. He passes to Bell, who dribbles upcourt before giving it back to the trailer Charlie, as he's wide open behind the three-point line and buries it (34-38 4:54)!
A basket by Tony gets the C's within two with 3:03 left in the half, then he does his part on the defensive end as he steals the ball from Villenueva to start the 3-on-1 Celtics fast break; he gives the ball to Rondo, who quickly passes back to Allen, and Williams is forced to commit to his man. That gives him the opportunity to lay it down for Garnett who finishes with the LOUD one-hand slam (42-all 2:09)!
That finally wakes up the crowd, as Milwaukee is forced to call timeout and regroup ... When play resumes, Simmons misses the three-point attempt, and KG hauls down the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who pushes the ball upcourt and finds Pierce wide open behind the three-point line. He lets the shot fly, but winds up with an airball (!); luckily, Rondo is underneath the basket for the loose ball, and makes a bullet pass to Paul who's now attacking the rim and goes in for the layup (44-42 1:32).
That was a thing of beauty ... Both teams score in the final moments, as the Celtics maintain the lead (46-44) at the half.
Both teams were a little sloppy with the ball (Milwaukee had ten turnovers to Boston's nine), but the C's can credit that two-point advantage to the play of Garnett (12 PTS, 6-7 FG, 4 REB) and Tony Allen's stifling defense on Michael Redd; he's Milwaukee's leading scorer for the season, but thus far has managed just five points on 2-for-5 shooting (he took just one shot - and missed it - in the entire first quarter)!
THIRD QUARTER
The second half opens with a basket by Redd (he's nearly doubled his offensive output already, ha!), then Rondo drives to the hoop against Williams, but misses the shot and Mason winds up with the loose rebound. He passes to Redd, who takes the ball upcourt and tries to dribble around Perkins, however he's called for the travelling violation (I give him another "ha!").
The Celts regain possession, and Tony blows right past Redd, forcing him to give the foul (which is a shame because it looked like Allen was gonna finish with a two-hand slammer); he makes both free throws to put Boston back ahead (48-46 10:37).
Williams answers with a three-pointer, then Garnett tries to bank in the shot over Bogut, but comes up short. Mason secures the rebound and passes upcourt to li'l Mo, who feeds the ball inside to Yi. He wants to kick it back out to Redd, but it's a bad pass that goes out of bounds (Milwaukee's 13th turnover) ... That makes it Boston ball, as Rondo misses the jumpshot but Perk grabs the offensive board; he passes out to KG, who immediately swings the ball around to Pierce and he buries the trey (51-49 9:37)!
Yi then misses and Pierce hauls down the board; he passes to Allen, who makes his way up the floor, then gives the ball to KG. He proceeds to set a pick on Williams (giving Rajon an open path to the basket), however Mo is able to reach out and grab Rondo by the arm ... That was actually kind of scary, as Rajon nearly did a cartwheel trying to regain his footing (and keep from landing on his head); however, he's alright, so he steps up to the line and makes both foul shots (53-49 9:07).
At the other end, Tony steals the ball from Yi (nice). He quickly brings the ball back the other way, as Milwaukee's players are scrambling to get back on defense ... However, somebody couldn't quite make it, as Pierce is left wide open and drains another three-pointer (56-49 8:45).
Redd tries to answer but airballs a three-point attempt (it's just not his night), and Yi fouls Pierce going for the rebound ... That makes it Celtics' ball, as Rondo clanks the 15-foot jumper, but the rebound bounces right back to him (that's a lucky break) and Yi ends up having to guard him (that's even luckier). Utilizing his speed advantage, Rajon proceeds to simply spin around the big man and goes all the way in for the layup (58-49 8:12); sweet!
Celts are starting to pull away, so Milwaukee is forced to call a timeout. When play resumes, Redd passes inside to Yi, who tries to make the move around KG but the refs catch him shuffling his feet so he's called for travelling (turnover number 15 for the Bucks)! Boston again takes control, and Garnett makes the nice pass inside to Rondo underneath the basket; Yi comes over to try and cover him (didn't work so great last time), so Rajon gives the ball up to Perk who finishes with the strong two-hand slam (60-49 7:55)!
A basket by Jianlian gets Milwaukee back within single digits, but Pierce responds by pulling up over Redd and burying yet another trey (65-53 6:03).
Williams then misses (they're fading fast, folks!) and Paul nabs the rebound; he takes the ball upcourt himself, then makes a nice no-look pass inside to Garnett, who's fouled by Yi as he's going up for the layup. However, the ball spins out of the rim, so there's no chance for a three-point play ... which gets Kevin so mad that he picks up the basketball and gives it eleven straight headbutts (I counted), and that gets the announcing team cracking up:
Gorman: That'll leave a mark!Anyway, Garnett steps to the line and misses the first free throw (maybe he's a little dizzy) but makes the second (66-53 5:33).
Heinsohn: Yeah, "Spalding" backwards!
At the other end, Simmons misses the fallaway jumpshot over Pierce, and KG secures the rebound. He gives it to Allen, who makes his way up the floor before passing to Rondo standing at the free-throw line, where he buries the "jay" (68-53 5:07)!
It's still a 15-point lead a minute later, when Perkins looks to get a clean block on Bogut, but the ref whistles him for the foul (Heinsohn: "They say Perk pushed him, no way did Perkins push him, and the official oughta take that back and go to confession tomorrow! He needs a penance after that one!"). So, the big Australian takes his place at the charity stripe, and sinks both free throws (68-55 3:58).
A basket by Bell gets Milwaukee within eleven, then KG tries to pass inside to Pierce, but Simmons knocks it away. Never one to give up on a play (even with a double-digit lead), Garnett dives to the floor for the loose ball, and the refs call a jump ball between he and Bobby ... Both players end up getting a little feisty trying to untangle from one another, as Paul steps in to have a few words with Simmons; that earns each of them a technical (hmmm).
Anyway, order is soon restored, and KG wins the tap ... Rondo winds up with the ball, and passes to Pierce about two feet behind the three-point line. Simmons is right on him, but Paul decides to pull up anyway and buries it (71-57 2:22); oooh, look out, he's mad now!
At the other end, Garnett knocks the ball away from Poison Ivey for yet another Milwaukee turnover. Posey picks it up and passes to Pierce, who immediately gives it up to KG and he finishes with the spin move around Yi for the layup (73-57 1:59).
Simmons then comes up empty on the field-goal attempt (the Bucks are now 5-of-14 from the floor in this quarter), and Posey pulls down the carom. He passes upcourt to Rajon, who drives down the lane against Ivery and is able to draw the foul while scoring the off-balance layup (nice). One free throw later and Rondo has himself a three-point play (76-57 1:07) ... he also has nine points in the quarter (17 overall)!
Garnett sits down at this point (Davis is in), and - if this offensive surge continues - we might not see him again tonight ... Both teams score in the closing moments, as the C's maintain a 19-point advantage (78-59) entering the final quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Posey misses a three-point attempt at the start of the fourth, but Allen goes up high over the 6-11 Voskuhl and tips it in (80-59 11:41)! That was pretty athletic ...
Y'know, I'm pretty tired from shovelling up the remains of that little "sneak preview" courtesy of Old Man Winter this morning (the snow thrower woudn't start up), so here's the deal: unless the Celtics' lead dips below ten points, or something really outrageous happens (like Just Pruitt dunking the ball from behind the three-point line), then I'm just gonna wrap up this recap right here so I can hit the hay.
Okay, go ...
...
...
...
...
Nothing yet ...
...
...
...
Nice pass by Davis ...
...
...
...
...
Okay, Celts win 104-82. Goodnight, everybody!
FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Milwaukee 82
GAME RATING:
18
KILLER
BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
- Pierce: 39 MIN, 32 PTS (9-22 FG, 5-11 3PTers, 9-9 FT), 3 REB
- Rondo: 32 MIN, 17 PTS (6-13 FG), 8 AST, 3 TO
- Garnett: 29 MIN, 15 PTS (7-10 FG), 7 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
- T. Allen: 33 MIN, 11 PTS (3-7 FG), 4 STL, 3 REB, 2 AST
- Williams: 24 MIN, 14 PTS (6-9 FG), 3 REB, 2 STL
- Simmons: 31 MIN, 11 PTS (5-15 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 4 REB
- Jianlian: 24 MIN, 10 PTS (3-5 FG), 6 TO, 5 REB
POST-GAME NOTES:
- The Bucks shot juts 43 percent from the floor (34-79 FG), while the Celts were up around 47 percent (35-75 FG).
- Milwaukee also committed 20 turnovers.
- Only the '63-'64 Celtics had a better start to a season (20-2).
- It wasn't one of Michael Redd's best games (29 MIN, 7 PTS, 3-9 FG), as he was held to just two points in the second half!
- Pierce was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
- During Dickerson's pre-game interview with Yi, they actually muted the big man's voice and dubbed in his translator for all the answers ... it was like watching a bad kung fu movie!
No comments:
Post a Comment