Parquet Wishes and Leprechaun Dreams

Friday, November 30, 2007

Accolades continue to pour in for Celts ...

One person is even proclaiming that they have one of the best trios in NBA history (my.nba.com):

Some of the best trios of all-time: Kareem, Magic, Worthy (Lakers, 1982-89); Russell, Jones, Havlicek (Celtics, 1962-69); Chamberlain, West, Baylor (Lakers, 1968-73); Bird, McHale, Parish (Celtics, 1980-92); Pierce, Allen, Garnett (Celtics, 2007-present)

No, that last one wasn't thrown in there by accident. And no, no other current trios deserve to be mentioned ahead of the Celtics’ Big Three, not even Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili of the defending-champion Spurs. The trio of Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett will be among the greatest in NBA history and is the best in the NBA right now.

Although Pierce, Garnett and Allen haven’t won a title together, or as individuals for that matter, they have already shown the attitude, chemistry and commitment to be legit title contenders in just their first season together. How many times have you seen three players with so much individual talent –- 22 combined All-Star appearances -- click as quickly in the NBA as Pierce, Garnett and Allen have? The Big Three has Boston off to an 11-2 start and all three have put their superstar status aside for team success.
NBA.Com also features one Eastern Conference scout's take on the Celtics' defense:

NBA.com: So with the philosophy of packing it in the paint, does that mean that they're most susceptible to teams that can put three or four shooters on the floor?
ECS: Yes, but the one thing they also do is they contest shots without fly-bys, so to speak. They just close out and want you to shoot the contested jump shot. You're absolutely right, though. Teams that make outside shots or teams that can push the ball and get easy buckets before the defense is set up are the teams they will have trouble with.

That's why they had trouble with a team like Charlotte. Athletic teams that can push the ball and teams that can shoot it are the teams that can hurt them, absolutely.

NBA.com: How much of a factor is Rajon Rondo's ability to pressure the ball?
ECS: It's a huge factor, because he is pretty quick. And the other philosophy they have is to turn you one or two times in the backcourt. They're not really necessarily trying to steal the ball, but they're trying to take time off the shot clock. Now, instead of teams staring their offense at the 18 or 20 second mark, they want them to start at 16.

The other thing they do is that they don't crash. Garnett will go to the offensive glass, but everybody else gets back. So, that also limits your fast-break opportunities, which cuts down on possessions per game, which cuts down on opportunities for you to score.

Recap: Game 14 (vs New York)

BOSTON CELTICS VS NEW YORK KNICKS

November 29, 2007
8:00 PM EST (TNT)
TD Banknorth Garden (Boston, MA)
Announcers: Marv Albert In a Can, Mike Fratello-Vision and Reggie "Mister Potato Head" Miller ; Evil Ernie Johnson, Omygod You Killed Kenny Smith and Barkley Worse Than His Bite (in-studio) ; Craig Sager-Meister (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Knicks Starting Lineup: Stephonie McMahon, Jamal Crawdaddy, Eddy RiceDish, Quenrintintin Richardson, Zach "Attack" Randolph

While the Knicks continue to be an embarrassment to the city of New York and to the sport of basketball in general, they are going for their third straight win tonight (after victories against Chicago and Utah) ... However, they have yet to win a game on the road (0-6) and the Celts will be looking to get back on the right track after an overtime loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Can Boston deliver the world-class ass-whuppin' tonight that will FINALLY be the last straw that gets Isiah 53:3 his rightful place in the unemployment line? One can only hope ...

FIRST QUARTER

Rondo scores on the layup (after the nice move against Crawford to get to the basket) to open the first quarter; at the other end, Randolph misses the outside jumper and Perkins grabs the rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt to Rajon, who passes inside to Garnett, where Zach is forced to foul him to prevent the easy dunk ... It's still Celtics' ball, and Rondo is left open for the 15-foot "jay" (4-0 10:31).

Richardson buries the three-pointer to put New York in the scoring column, then Perk sets the pick to get Marbury off of Allen's back ... That causes Curry to come over to help on defense, so Ray passes to an open Kendrick underneath the basket, and he finishes with the two-hand slam (6-3 9:48)!

Well, we're certainly off to a good start, as Rondo hits another jumper to give Boston the five-point lead ... Perkins then gets the big block on Marbury's layup attempt (sweet); Ray picks up the loose ball and takes it the other way. Crawford sags off him, so Allen pulls up without hesitation and buries the shot (10-3 8:57).

That brings a New York 20-second timeout, and when play resumes Marbury tries to make the move around Rondo (the crowd has booed him everytime he's touched the ball); Rajon is on him step for step, so Stephon makes the bounce pass inside to Curry, where he goes up for the hook shot over Perk but winds up shooting an airball! Wow, the Knicks have missed seven of their first eight field goal attempts to start the game (heh heh) ... Meanwhile, Rondo blows by Crawford and scores on the too-easy layup (12-3 7:40), as the C's are 6-for-9 from the field.

Two free throws by Allen make it a double-digit lead with 7:14 remaining in the quarter, then Randolph tries to score in the paint but throws up another airball (tee hee)! Rondo grabs the "rebound" and makes a fullcourt pass to a hustling Perkins; he goes in for the layup, but Curry blocks the shot from behind (wow). Marbury comes up with the loose ball and takes it back the other way, then passes inside to Eddy for the basket (14-5 6:29).

A jumper by Pierce makes it an 11-point game again, then Marbury is called for the offensive foul trying to take it inside against Rondo ... Boston regains possession, as Garnett is covered by David "General" Lee (just in for Curry) but is still able to bank in the shot (20-7 3:21).

Lee then draws the foul on Perk trying to go for the shot (that was a pretty weak call), sending him to line - The Scals of Justice is immediately off the bench to replace Kendrick - where he makes one of his two free throw attempts (20-8 2:31).

Scalabrine makes the most of his playing time by knocking down the trey (that gets the crowd excited), while at the other end Richardson tries the hook shot over KG but winds up with yet another airball (ha HA)! However, the loose rebound is tipped around before Quentin winds up with the ball again, and he is able to score on the putback (23-10 1:37); still, the Knicks are shooting a paltry 20 percent (4-20 FG) from the floor!

In the closing moments, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis and Parker Posey come into the game (KG and Ray take a seat) ... Randolph scores the bucket (he's just 1-for-8 shooting!) to get New York within eleven, but then Pierce drives down the lane and is hacked by Subway's Jared Jeffries; that puts him at the line, where he makes both foul shots (27-14 :36.0).

Jeffries answers with the jumpshot with 10 seconds left, ending the quarter with the Knicks "only" down eleven (27-16) ... It's a great time at the Garden thus far, as the Knicks couldn't even manage 25-percent shooting from the floor (6-23 FG), while the Celts were up at 50 percent (11-24 FG)!

SECOND QUARTER

Hugh Laurie, Posey, Scals, Pierce, and Davis start the quarter ... However, the bench players don't let up on the intensity level, as James plays some great defense on Renaldo "McDonald" Balkman which causes him to lose his dribble; the ball slips out of his fingers, and "Big Baby" dives to the floor to try and steal it! Not only that, but the ball is knocked to the sideline, and Posey dives over the scorers' table (nearly taking out the Celtics' radio announcers) to try and save it!

You gotta love the hustle, as Balkman was the last to touch it, so the Celtics take control ... Scals misses the shot, but gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out to Pierce. Unfortunately, he can't hit the three-point shot, and Lee grabs the rebound.

He passes to "What's Naters Precious" Robinson, who brings it upcourt before pulling up for the outside shot; he backrims it (New York is now 6-for-25 from the field!) and Scalabrine comes away with the carom. We head back the other way, where Pierce drives down the lane for the layup; the shot misses, but Davis grabs the offensive board and tries to score on the putback.

Going up for the shot, he's hammered by at least three Knicks, but no foul is called (!) and Lee collects the loose ball. He passes to Robinson, who finds Jeffries in the paint ... Davis ends up fouling him with 9:57 on the clock, as Marbury (who started the quarter on the bench due to two fouls) comes back into the game to replace Nate.

Meanwhile, Curry tries to score the hook shot with Scals in his face, but that comes up short and Lee tips the loose rebound out of bounds. That gives the Celts another opportunity to extend their lead, and that's exactly what House does as he buries the three-pointer (30-16 8:40)! Amazingly, that's Boston's first field goal of the quarter (1-7 FG)!

Lee then misses (the Knicks have missed all five of their field goal attempts in the quarter), and Posey grabs the rebound. He passes to House, who brings it upcourt and finds Ray (just back into the game) in the corner. He gives the upfake to get Balkman in the air, then absorbs the contact while banking in the shot, so he heads to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (33-16 8:06).

Marbury scores with 7:46 on the clock to give the Knicks their first points of the quarter, while at the other end House makes the nice pass inside to Davis for the open layup (35-18 7:26) ... Things are going great, as Balkman loses the ball out of bounds (that's New York's fifth turnover compared to zero for Boston); the Celts regain possession, but Posey misses the hook shot over Richardson and Curry pulls down the rebound. He gives it up to Marbury, who dribbles upcourt and tries to make the crosscourt pass to Jeffries; however, House tips it away and Davis ends up with the loose ball. Glen sends it upcourt to Ray, who blows past Crawford for another layup (37-18 6:26)!

New York needs to call another timeout, and when play resumes Marbury clanks the three-point attempt (keep those bricks a-comin'). Posey grabs the rebound, and gets the ball upcourt to House, who passes inside to KG (he's returned to the lineup); Kevin tries to work his way inside against Curry, but instead makes the bullet pass inside to Davis who's all alone for the layup (39-18 5:25)!

Quentin then misses (the Knicks are now 7-for-31 from the floor), and House grabs the rebound ... He heads back the other way, and finds Garnett in the corner, where he makes another pass to Davis underneath the basket. Curry commits the foul, so "Big Baby" is at the line at the 4:55 mark; he makes the first free throw, but misses the second.

However, KG winds up with the offensive rebound ... He has just two points (1-1 FG), but that's his eighth rebound (yowza). He kicks the ball out to House, who's wide open for the three-pointer (43-18 4:52)!

Great stuff, as Pierce (4 PTS, 1-8 FG) and Ray (11 PTS, 4-8 FG) come back into the game with 4:30 remaining in the half ... However, Richardson (who made some interesting comments prior to the game [nypost.com]) throws down the two-hand slam to cap a quick 6-1 Knicks run (44-24 3:22).

Garnett is then fouled by Randolph taking it to the basket; that's Zach's third foul, so Lee comes back into the game to replace him, while Kevin sinks both free throws (46-24 3:02).

Fred Jones Got Fingered and Pierce trade baskets, then Crawford misses the three-point attempt and Paul snares the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes off to Rondo, who dribbles some time off the clock before giving the ball to Allen. He tries to pull up over Jones for the shot, but comes up with an airball (how many of those are we gonna see tonight?) as the shot clock expires.

New York regains possession with 1:41 left in the half (that was actually Boston's first turnover of the game!), as Quentin misses but Davis fouls Lee going for the rebound ... House comes back into the game to replace "Big Baby", as the Celts are over the limit and Lee makes one-of-two from the line (48-27 1:25).

KG then misses (he's now 1-of-4) and Lee controls the rebound; he quickly gets the ball upcourt to Robinson, who slices down the lane between two defenders and scores the layup PLUS draws the foul on House. He steps to the line at the 1:05 mark, but misses the free throw and Lee fouls Pierce going for the rebound ... Now the Knicks are over the limit, so Paul takes his place at the other end of the floor and makes one-of-two foul shots (49-29 1:04).

The Knicks are showing some signs of life, but Lee misses on the reverse dunk (ha HA!) and KG grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to Ray, who takes it upcourt before finding Rondo in the corner; he drives down the lane before kicking it out to Pierce for the open three-pointer (52-29 :40.3) ... So, we head to halftime with Boston up by twenty-three (54-31); Boston is dominating in all areas, limiting the Knicks to 32-percent shooting (13-41 FG) while shooting 45 percent themselves (19-42 FG). They also have 14 assists on those 19 made baskets, compared to just four assists from New York!

THIRD QUARTER

Despite that little mini-run at the end of the second quarter, Barkley really ripped into the Knicks during halftime:
Patrick Ewing is rolling over in his grave ... Man, the Knicks [are] embarrassing. They act like, their body language is like it's the end of the season and they're playing out the string. They got no energy, no emotion, and it's just flat-out embarrassing. They just going through the motions, period!
New York, meanwhile, does nothing to disprove his words, as Randolph has his layup attempt blocked by Garnett (he's now shooting 1-for-10!) and Rondo collects the loose ball. He quickly brings it upcourt for the fast break, and makes the bounce pass to Allen who finishes with the layup (56-31 11:15)!

Marbury then tries to force the shot over Rondo and misses, as Zach fouls Pierce going for the rebound; that's his fourth, so Lee comes back in to replace him. When play resumes, Ray makes the pass inside to Perkins cutting down the lane (nice hustle!) where's he's fouled by David, so he heads to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (57-31 10:27).

At the other end, Richardson tries to make the bounce pass inside to Lee, but Pierce picks it off (for the Knicks' eighth turnover) and gets the ball upcourt to Allen; Crawford doesn't bother to cover him, so Ray just pulls up and buries the trey (60-31 10:05)!

This is amazing, as a basket by KG makes it a 31-point lead with nine minutes on the clock. Quentin then airballs a three-point attempt (ha HA!) and Allen comes away with loose ball ... We head back the other way, as Ray finds Pierce spotting up in the corner, where he rises up over Marbury and drains the three-point basket of his own (65-31 8:39)!

Stick a fork in the Knicks, they're done ... Fast forward to 5:39 left in the quarter, when another three-ball by Pierce extends it to a THIRTY-SEVEN point lead; that is not a typo, the score is 72 to 35 (the Knicks have managed only four points in six-plus minutes)!

I am loving this, as Davis misses the shot, but gets his own rebound (the Knicks have nothing right now) and is fouled by Lee; that puts him at the line, where he makes both free throws (74-35 4:57).

Jeffries then scores on the layup, but Paul answers with yet another trey (77-37 4:25)!

It gets better, as Ray buries a three-pointer off the assist from Rondo (his seventh) to make it a 43-point lead (yowza). Nate then brings the ball upcourt (Miller: "Isiah's letting his guys play through, normally you would call timeouts, but when a team goes on a run like this, he's gonna let these guys play it out; that's taking them off the hook if you call timeout!") and passes inside to Curry, who tries for the hook shot over Perk. However, Kendrick gets a piece of it, and Ray recovers the loose ball; he heads back the other way, and drives all the way down the lane for the easy layup (82-37 2:59).

Thomas finally takes pity and calls for time, as Glenn Rivers M.D. empties his bench and puts in Scals, House, and Posey (Pierce and Allen take a seat and probably won't be back) ... The quarter ends with Boston up handily, 82 to 41. Weee!

FOURTH QUARTER

Posey, Scals, House, Davis, and Just Pruitt (welcome back, rook!) start the final quarter, as I expect TNT to cut to an episode of "The Closer" (tnt.tv) at any moment ... Robinson knocks down the jumper, but House answers with the bullet pass inside to Scalabrine, who then gives the extra pass to Davis (UNSELFISH!) for the easy layup (84-43 10:52); the Celts now have 23 assists on 29 made baskets!

Let's keep piling it on boys, as Davis is fouled by Jeffries (after rebounding a missed three-point attempt from Pruitt) and makes one of his free throws to extend it to a 42-point lead (wowsers). At the other end, War of the Malik Roses misses the hook shot over Scals, and House grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to Pruitt, who dribbles upcourt, then passes back to Eddie who pulls up for the three-point shot and nails it (88-43 9:36).

Balkman then comes up short, and Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels snares the rebound. He passes to Pruitt, who again brings the ball up the floor, only this time he finds Davis all alone in the corner, where he knocks down the 15-footer (90-43 9:06).

Inconceivable, as House buries the trey with 8:30 left in the game to make it a 50 (yes, FIFTY) point lead ... Time for this Knicks organization to make like Ol' Yeller and take Isiah out to the back of the barn, you know what I'm sayin'?

Anyway, let's wrap this puppy up, I've had enough fun for tonight ... Two free throws by Robinson give the Knicks 56 points (snicker) with 56.7 seconds remaining. Now, the record for fewest points in a game for a New York team is 58 (on Dec. 15, 2000 against Utah), so that might make the end of this contest a bit more interesting.

Powe scores on the jumpshot off the pass from Pruitt (102-56 45.2), then Rose misses the outside shot and Gabe comes away with the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who slowly dribbles upcourt as the crowd is on their feet ... Rather than pile it on, Rajon lets the shot clock expire, so the Knicks have one last chance with exactly two seconds remaining on the clock. That's when Randolph Morris the Cat inbounds the ball to Nate at midcourt, where he lets one fly and it (miraculously) goes in!

Aw, what a spoil-sport, as the Knicks avoid a spot in the record books ... but they still wind up looking like a bunch of pathetic losers (104-59) and in the end, isn't that all that really matters?

FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, New York 59

GAME RATING:


20
KILLER


BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
  • R. Allen: 28 MIN, 21 PTS (8-14 FG), 5 REB, 3 AST
  • Pierce: 28 MIN, 21 PTS (6-16 FG, 4-8 3PTers), 8 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
  • House: 23 MIN, 15 PTS (5-8 FG, 5-6 3PTers), 4 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
  • Davis: 30 MIN, 13 PTS (4-6 FG), 6 REB (4 OFF), 1 BLK
  • Rondo: 27 MIN, 10 PTS (5-8 FG), 7 AST, 0 TO
NEW YORK TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Robinson: 22 MIN, 11 PTS (4-10 FG), 2 AST
  • Crawford: 28 MIN, 8 PTS (4-8 FG)
  • Richardson: 28 MIN, 7 PTS (3-12 FG), 9 REB
TONIGHT'S COG (CELT OF THE GAME): Isiah Thomas, for letting his players quit on him and making it an easy night for the C's

POST-GAME NOTES:
  • Tonight's game was blacked out on Comcast SportsNet (although the network did go through with their regular pre- and post-game shows), while TNT showed it as part of their Thursday night NBA double-header (Denver versus the LA Lakers was the late-night matchup).
  • The Celts have now won 11 of their last 14 games against the Knicks.
  • With only eight points, Kevin Garnett saw his streak of double-digit scoring games come to an end at 411 straight (seventh longest in NBA history) ... Like the rest of Boston's starters, he got a lot of rest, playing just 22 minutes (although he did lead all players with 11 rebounds).
  • New York shot just 30 percent from the floor (23-76 FG) , with more turnovers (14) than assists (12).
  • Allan Tony missed his second straight game due to a thigh injury.

Ding dong, the Knicks are dead (in the water) ...

Sorry, don't mean to pile it on, but I just can't help myself ...

Celtics light up Knicks (boston.com)

Boston (12-2) improved to 8-0 at home this season. The Celtics' best home start was 12-0 in the 1984-85 season.

"In the past, we haven't given [the fans] a whole lot to cheer for," coach Doc Rivers said. "So now they are. They're here. They have great energy. You feel it and the players feel it. It's good."

Most of the fans stuck around for most of the fourth quarter. Why? Probably to see just how badly the Knicks would lose.


Smoke signals loud and clear (boston.com)

Say hello to the 2007 New York Knicks. Clowns to the left. Jokers to the right. As dysfunctional families go, the Knicks make the Osbournes look like the Cleavers. This team needs Dr. Phil more than it needs Dr. J or Dr. Jack Ramsay.

The Knicks made their first visit to Boston last night and were thrashed, 104-59. It was another Belichickian win for the locals, who improved to 8-0 at the Garden. Ray Allen played the part of Tom Brady and Paul Pierce was Randy Moss. Doc Rivers kept the Celtics in shotgun formation deep into the third quarter. The Celtics led by 52 midway though the fourth. What a beating.

It's times like this we really miss Red Auerbach, and not just because the Celtics have the best record in the NBA. Red would have loved what is happening to the Knicks almost as much as he'd enjoy seeing his Celtics back on top.

A hard Knick life as Celts embarrass New Yorkers (bostonherald.com)

[W]ith a national audience peering in on cable, appearances were important. The Knicks, apparently, didn't get the memo.

The Celtics followed the hype onto their biggest stage of the season, running their home record to 8-0 with a wild 104-59 win over the Knicks that was so overwhelming, not a single New Yorker reached double figures until Nate Robinson's meaningless 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"Boston came out with a playoff-type intensity, a national television game, and we didn't respond to that type of energy, and it's disappointing," Knicks coach Isiah Thomas said. "We're not ready for prime time yet, that's for sure."

Thanks to Robinson's shot, New York was spared the wrong kind of immortality. His bomb pushed the Knicks over the franchise low of 58 points, set on Dec. 15, 2000, against the Utah Jazz.

The Knicks also just missed becoming the lowest-scoring Celtics opponent in the shot clock era, leaving the burden on a Milwaukee team that scored only 57 points on Feb. 27, 1955, in Providence.

"Of course I am embarrassed. We lost by nearly 50 points," Knicks guard Stephon Marbury said. "I'm angry. I'm always angry when I lose, but that was just flat-out embarrassing. To lose that bad was just ridiculous."


Rock bottom (nypost.com)

Isiah Thomas viewed last night's nationally televised matchup vs. the vaunted Celtics as a chance to put the Knicks on the map.

Instead, with a motivational lift from Quentin Richardson, the Celtics blew the Knicks out of the new Boston Garden, blew them off the NBA map, blew them off the world map, blew them all the way to Mars by the time this disgusting 104-59 carnage was over.

...

The players were devastated and talked about being embarrassed. Thomas ripped the team for playing selfish.

Eddy Curry bolted out of the locker room, brushing off reporters. Zach Randolph and Malik Rose talked in choked tones. This 45-point loss was so sickening a new Isiah Watch could begin anew as the Knicks (4-10) try to erase the stench tonight vs. Milwaukee at a potentially venomous Garden.

...

In an incredible display of surrender, with 8:09 left and the Celtics mounting a 50-point lead on Eddie House's jumper, a Knicks fan sitting behind the basket ripped off his blue Knicks jersey, threw it onto the court in a rage and marched up the stairs and out of the building as Celtics fans applauded.

There was a very brief "Fire Isiah" chant from the Boston crowd, and TNT's Charles Barkley predicted Thomas' demise with a Milwaukee loss tonight at the Garden. Unfortunately, that's not happening.


Knicks are a flop in prime time (nytimes.com)

Fifty-two points separated the Boston Celtics from the Knicks late Thursday night, and it was hard to say whether the biggest gap was on the scoreboard, or between Coach Isiah Thomas and his players.

The Knicks' first nationally televised game in years turned into a nationally televised humiliation — a 104-59 rout that served as a striking indictment of the Knicks' resolve. They appeared to be playing near one another, as opposed to with one another. The scale of their defeat calls into question whether players are either turning on Thomas or perhaps on one another. They all dismissed the idea, but Thomas blasted his players for playing "extremely selfish."


Celtics destroy Knicks, 104-59 (newsday.com)

A league-wide joke? That's what TNT commentator Reggie Miller considered the Knicks earlier this week. After Thursday night's 104-59 spanking by the Celtics at TD Banknorth Garden -- and not to mention, on national television -- they were no doubt an even easier punch line.

Charles Barkley, who worked in the TNT studio for Thursday night's broadcast, put up a graphic of his Knicks Fav Five, which consisted of Patrick Ewing, Walt Frazier, Earl Monroe, Bill Bradley and, Barkley added, "No One Today."

No one Thursday night, for sure.

The hope for the Knicks was that they had turned the corner after Monday's win over Utah; that their troubles from that miserable week out west and all the controversy that came with it were behind them. That they could prove on a national stage that they should be taken seriously.

Quentin Richardson even tossed a log on the fire when he said the Knicks didn't have any fear of the Celtics' "Big Three" of Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen. "We're not in awe of them," Richardson said. "They ain't won no championships."

For the time being, they can claim to have you by as many as 52 points (95-43) in the fourth quarter and hand you your worst loss in over 27 years. The 45-point deficit tied the third-worst loss in franchise history, set Feb. 20, 1980 in a 131-86 thrashing at Indiana. The franchise's worst all-time loss was a 62-point defeat at Syracuse on Christmas Day, 1960.

The 59 points scored by the Knicks is the second-lowest output in franchise history. Nate Robinson's three-pointer at the buzzer avoided the record, which is 58 points, in an 89-58 loss to Utah on Dec. 15, 2000.

"We played horrible, that's the bottom line," Quentin Richardson said. "Take nothing away from them, but at the same time, we played horrible."


Celtics embarrass Knicks by 45 points (nydailynews.com)

A new prime-time comedy debuted on TNT last night. It's called the "Isiah Follies" and it is about a basketball team that can't shoot straight, play defense or even pretend it cares. How in the name of Red Holzman can the Knicks trail by 52 to the rival Celtics?

Knicks can't dismiss this grand debacle, but they can dismiss Isiah Thomas (nydailynews.com)

[I]n their 104-59 debacle, their most lopsided loss to their hated Atlantic Division rivals, the Knicks showed no heart, no fight, no nothing.

This early in the season, this kind of a defeat is inexcusable, unless the players are looking to run off the coach.

When he finally showed up to address the media out in the hallway, Isiah Thomas was asked if his team quit on him.

"No," he said outside his fast-emptying locker room.

Well, what's he supposed to say, yes?

"We didn't compete," Thomas said, stating the obvious.

"I don't know where this game came from," he said.

He didn't want to know, to be truthful. This kind of game is every coach's nightmare. This was Thomas' bad dream. You know what he said only a week ago about not foreseeing any changes this year, meaning he didn't see himself getting fired? If Thomas' team responds to his coaching with a few more games like this one, Jim Dolan is going to have to amend that statement.

By firing Thomas.

Which is the way it has to work.


Daily Dime: more Knicks and bruises (sports.espn.go.com)

It was scarcely more than a week ago that I cautioned never to declare anything a new low for the New York Knicks, because one can always be certain that no matter how bad things may look at the moment, there's always the distinct possibility no, make that the distinct certainty -- that something even more horrific is in store.

But dare we say the same thing again after watching the Knicks embarrass themselves anew Thursday night in a 104-59 loss to the Boston Celtics?

Well, there's always Friday night.

And if the Knicks pull a stink job at home Friday night against Milwaukee to match the bomb they laid on Thursday night, it'll immediately be time to re-raise the subject of whether Isiah Thomas' tenure as coach and president of the team is down to its final hours.

It was clear and evident to all Thursday night that the Knicks are a team that have quit on their coach, the TNT broadcast crew repeatedly observing that against the Celtics they played with the body language of a team playing out the string in April.

Given that it's still November, not April, we must agree that we've never seen anything quite like it.

It'll be a feisty crowd at the Garden on Friday night, a crowd that'll come prepared to lay it on Thomas thick should the game get away from the Knicks as quickly and as thoroughly as it did Thursday night.

If the Knicks lose by 40 again, the venom will be so poisonous -- especially if owner Jim Dolan is taking in the game from his usual front row seat -- that it might actually leave Dolan with no choice but to cut the cord with Thomas in order to be seen as doing something to placate the team's ever-shrinking fan base.

There comes a point when enough is simply enough, and that point may be imminent. One more quit job from the players, especially if it comes Friday so close on the heels of this latest debacle, and Thomas is going to have to go. But then again, even if it's the only move that makes sense for Dolan, history shows that it probably means he actually won't do it.

Still, the law of averages has to work in favor of common sense at some point, and common sense clearly shows that Thomas has to be in severe job jeopardy after a loss that pushed the Knicks from a 9.5 to a 10 on the laughingstock meter.

Things couldn't get worse than that, could they? The answer, of course, is yes, they could. And how could they possibly outdo the new low they dropped to on national television Thursday night? Perhaps we'll find out Friday, and then we can turn our attention to seeing whether Thomas makes it though Saturday.

Suck it, Quentin!

Quentin Richardson prior to last night's game (nypost.com):

It's like the media makes more of The Big Three and all of them. We're not in awe of them. They ain't won no championships.
See, that's a double negative (stcloudstate.edu), so he's really saying "they've won championships" ... Thanks for the vote of confidence, Q-Dog!

Image from NYDailyNews.Com

Quentin Richardson after the game (telegram.com):

I still don't think we're in awe of them ... I know I'm not. There are a lot of teams that are pretty good in this league, but that doesn't mean you're in awe of them, or you're scared of them. I'm pretty sure when the Bulls were 72-10, people weren't scared and in awe of them. We're all NBA players.
Whatever you say, my friend ... You may all be NBA players, but at least the Celtics are players who don't have to listen to Isiah Thomas. ZING.

Recap: Game 13 (at Cleveland)

BOSTON CELTICS AT CLEVELAND CAVALIERS

November 27, 2007
7:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Quicken Loans Arena (Cleveland, OH)
Announcers
: Mike An-Gorman-agement 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
Cavs Starting Lineup: Pavlovic's Dog, Daniel "Titty" Gibson, SeeOurZydrunas, Drew Gooden Plenty, Cuckoo Lebronza

Lebron James has been on quite a tear heading into tonight's game against Boston ... In his last six outings, he's averaged a near triple-double (37.5 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 9.5 APG); not too shabby.

As for the Celts, they come into tonight's matchup against the defending Eastern Conference champs a little banged up ... Allan Tony will be unavailable tonight (thigh injury), while the other Allen - you know, the one with the game winning shot against the Bobcats - actually sprained his ankle during that contest. He missed practice and was a game-time decision, but will start tonight.

FIRST QUARTER

At the start of the game, Lebron makes the nice pass inside to Zydrunas, but Garnett bats it away and Pierce comes up with the loose ball. He takes it upcourt himself, then gives it to Rondo who slices down the lane before passing off to Perkins for the easy layup (2-0 11:21).

Ilgauskus hits the outside "jay" to tie the score early, then KG tries to make the spin move around Gooden but is called for travelling. Cleveland regains possession, and Pavlovic is left wide open for the three-pointer (2-5 10:28).

Ray then tries the fallaway jumper over Pavlovic, but comes up short; Gooden grabs the miss and passes to Lebron, who dribbles upcourt and finds Gibson in the corner for the deep jumper (2-7 9:59).

At the other end, KG is double-teamed down low, and loses the ball out of bounds. That makes it Cavaliers' ball, and Zydrunas takes the opportunity to hit the pullup jumper right in Perk's grill (2-9 9:33).

Celts are off to a slow start, as Kevin tries to take it to the rim against Gooden but can't knock down the shot; Zydrunas controls the rebound, then gets the ball upcourt to James. He passes to Gooden, who posts up on Perk and just blows by him for the easy layup (2-11 9:03).

Glenn Rivers M.D. has seen enough and calls for time ... When play resumes, Pierce knocks down the pullup "jay" over Lebron to break Cleveland's 11-0 scoring run. However, at the other end, Gooden is again left wide open and hits the 15-footer (4-13 8:25); the Cavs have started this game making six of their first seven field goal attempts!

This is getting bad, as Ilgauskas hits the shot over Perk with 7:11 on the clock to make it a double-digit deficit. Garnett then misses the oustide jumper (Boston is just 2-for-8 from the field), and Zydrunas controls the rebound. He passes to Lebron, who dribbles upcourt, then slices down the lane between two defenders ... However, his layup attempt is blocked by KG, and Ray (recovering the loose ball) takes it back the other way, where he pulls up over Gibson for the three-point basket (7-15 6:33)!

Ilgauskas answers with another jumper (he's already got eight points on 4-for-5 shooting), then Perkins misses the hook shot and Big Z corrals the loose board (Cleveland is now outrebounding Boston 10 to 3). He makes the fullcourt pass to Lebron, who easily eludes Rondo and finishes with the two-hand slam (7-19 5:07); that was actually James' first points of the night (2 PTS, 1-3 FG, 4 AST), not the Cavs necessarily need his help thus far.

The C's are forced to call another timeout, and when play resumes Parker Posey is in for Perkins, and immediately hits the trey (10-19 4:44).

Gooden is then called for the travelling violation, as Boston regains possession and Pierce passes inside to Garnett who buries the turnaround jumper over Ira Noobie (12-19 4:10).

Now we're cooking, as two free throws by Kevin cut the deficit down to five with three minutes to go in the quarter (the Men in Green have now scored seven straight points) ... Meanwhile, Lebron is forced to put up an awkward three-point attempt to beat the shot clock, which is wide right but Gooden grabs the offensive rebound (dang!) and passes back to The Devin Miss M who drives down the lane and scores over Garnett (14-21 2:15).

Allen is then called for too many steps (Boston's third turnover), as the Cavs regain possession with a chance to extend their advantage ... However, Ray steals the pass from James (Cleveland's fourth turnover) and finds Hugh Laurie - just into the game - who dribbles upcourt before passing back to Allen. He's behind the three-point line with nobody on him, so he just pulls up and buries it (17-21 1:34)!

At the other end, Gooden tries the turnaround jumper over Posey; the shot misses, but Brown is able to sneak in for the offensive board and is fouled by Pierce (his second). That sends Devin to the line, where he makes both free throws to make it a five-point game (17-23 1:11).

Paul and Kevin take a seat at this point (Rondo comes back in along with The Scals of Justice) ... Rajon tries to make an immediate impact by taking it to the basket for the layup attempt, but Lebron is right there to meet him with the big-time rejection. Devin grabs the loose ball and takes it upcourt, then he passes back to James, who drives down the lane and is fouled by Posey while scoring the bucket!

However, Lebron is slow to get up (Posey hit him across the head so hard that his headband went flying off) ... Cleveland calls a timeout to give Bron-Bron a chance to recover, but he's able to make it to the free-throw line and sinks the foul shot to complete the (belated) three-point play (17-26 :51.0).

Allen buries another three-pointer (Heinsohn: "Let's ride Ray for awhile!"), then Brown misses the outside shot and Posey grabs the rebound. He passes off to Rondo, who slowly brings the ball upcourt for a chance at the final shot ... Rajon ends up going for the fallaway jumper over Lebron, but misses badly (I think he was fouled), so the quarter ends with the Celts down six (20-26).

A tough outing for the C's thus far, as the lone bright spot appears to be Allen ... Despite his injury concerns, he leads the team with nine points and is perfect from behind the three-point arc (3-3 3PTers)

SECOND QUARTER

Rondo, Posey, Allen, House, and Scotty 2 Hotty are in to start the second quarter, as Lebron remains on the bench (he might still be a little groggy) ... Meanwhile, Posey misses the three-point attempt, but House grabs the offensive rebound (Boston's first of the night) and passes to Ray, who drives down the lane and finishes with the layup (22-26 10:59).

Zydrunas scores, then Allen misses the outside jumper and Pavlovicc grabs the rebound. He goes coast to coast and takes it all the way to the basket, where he's fouled by Rondo and proceeds to make one-of-two from the line (22-29 10:16) ... In retaliation, Ray drives down the lane (to draw in the defense) before kicking it out to a wide-open Posey for the trey (25-29 9:57)!

Ilgauskas is then called for the travelling violation with 9:39 on the clock, as Pierce comes back into the game to replace Allen (he's played the entire game thus far) ... It's Celtics' ball, but House misses the shot and Newble grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Pavlovic, who finds Mailer-Damon Jones spotting up behind the three-point line.

However, that shot is wide of the mark, and Pollard controls the loose carom. He gets the ball upcourt to Pierce, who tries the pullup jumper but is wide of the mark. Pavlovic pulls down the board, as we take it back the other way, and Brown winds up being fouled by Pollard underneath the basket while going for the shot; that sends Devin to the line, where he makes both foul shots (25-31 8:35).

Lebron comes back into the game during the stoppage of play, while Pierce makes a nice pass inside to Pollard for the layup to get Boston within four. At the other end, Lebron takes it down the lane and Scotty commits another foul (his third in just five minutes), so he heads back to the charity stripe and makes both free throws (27-33 8:01).

Pollard takes a seat as Garnett comes back into the game; Pierce then goes in strong over Newble for the layup (29-33 7:50).

Undaunted, Lebron hits the turnaround jumper over Posey (that was a difficult shot, I'll admit) ... At the other end, Pierce misses the shot and Ilgauskas grabs the rebound. He gets the ball to Damon, who quickly passes upcourt to Lebron, but he slips and falls in the paint. However, the refs bail him out and call the foul on Posey (I call bullshit on that one); that gets him another trip to the line, and James sinks both free throws (29-37 7:10).

Perk (back into the game for House) hits the hook shot over Gooden to keep the Celts within striking distance, then Perk does his part on the defensive end as he slaps the ball out of Pavlovic's hands. Rondo picks it up and takes it back the other way, where he finds Pierce underneath the basket. Gooden commits the foul, so Paul heads to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (32-37 6:28).

Now let's fast-forward to three minutes left in the game, as it's still a five-point deficit ... Whoops, make that three, as Garnett knocks down the outside "jay" (42-45 2:30); Boston has picked up their shooting somewhat, making 7-of-16 field goals in the quarter.

Perkins then fouls Lebron underneath the basket, but Bron-Bron can only make one-of-two free throws ... At the other end, KG makes the nice pass inside to Kendrick, and James (in a bit of a role reversal) has to give the foul to prevent the easy basket. So, Perk steps to the line where he makes the first free throw but misses the second.

Luckily, Rondo is able to beat Gooden to the offensive rebound (that's embarrassing for Drew), and the big man ends up being called for the foul (his third); that sends Rajon to the line, where he also makes one-of-two foul shots (44-46 1:59).

Gibson then misses the three-point shot (Cleveland is just 5-for-12 from the field in the quarter), and Pierce grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt and passes inside to KG, who's double-teamed so he kicks it out to Ray who is open behind the three-point line. Unfortunately, the shot misses and Ilgauskas comes away with the loose board.

The Cavs have a chance to give themselves a little breathing room, but Gibson wins up missing his own three-point attempt, and Allen pulls down the 'bound; he then makes a fullcourt pass to a hustling Rajon, who finds Pierce open from behind the arc ... That shot winds up missing as well (!), but Ray grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Garnett, who quickly passes back inside to Perk for the layup to tie the game (46-all :48.7)!

Now the team looks energized, as Gibson has his layup attempt blocked by Perkins out of bounds with two seconds left on the shot clock ... Lebron inbounds to Newble, who tries to quickly bank his shot in, but it's no good and Rondo comes away with the rebound.

Celts are looking for the final shot, as Pierce is defended by Lebron, so he gives the ball up to Allen. He drives to the basket against Brown, and Newble reaches in for the ill-advised foul with 0.7 seconds left on the clock.

Ira's hit knocked Ray to the ground, so Rondo tries to come over and help him up ... However, Devin is standing in his way, and (as Rajon tries to get around him) a bit of a tussle ensues. Hmm, not sure what Brown's problem is, but he gives Rondo a little shove (I guess he was "invading his personal space" or something) and Rajon lets him know that he doesn't appreciate that.

The refs step in to separate the two, as Brown is slapped with a technical foul (wow, that makes Devin look foolish) ... So, Ray gets one free throw attempt for the tech (which he makes), then steps to the line and makes both of his "regular" foul shots.

Wow, a three-point play to end the quarter ... Cavs lost their cool at the end there, as the Celts are up 49 to 46 at halftime.

As for Ray Allen, he still shows no ill effects from his injury, scoring 16 points on 5-for-11 shooting.

THIRD QUARTER

Ray scores yet again to open the quarter (he can't be stopped!), then Gibson tries for the pullup jumper over Garnett - not a wise choice - and Pierce grabs the miss. He sends the ball upcourt to Rondo, who gives it up to KG, and he tries to work his way inside against Gooden. His shot comes up short, but he's able to get his own rebound and passes to Perkins underneath the basket, where he's hacked by Zydrunas. That puts Kendrick at the line, and he makes both foul shots (53-46 10:56).

Boy, this crowd has gone deathly silent right now ... However, things perk up as Gooden hits the jumper to cap an 8-2 Cleveland run (55-54 7:49). Pierce breaks the streak with a 20-footer, but Lebron answers with an outside "jay" of his own (57-56 7:20); James now has 16 points on the night (5-13 FG).

Celts are looking flustered again, as Paul is called for the travelling violation; the Cavs regain possession, and Gibson makes the nice pass inside to Gooden who scores on the layup (57-58 6:47).

Rondo then misses, but Perk tips the loose rebound out to Allen, who passes to Garnett in the paint. He tries to back down Gooden, but instead kicks the ball out to Pierce, who swings it around to Ray in the corner and he buries another trey (60-58 6:14); that's 21 points now for The Jesus (4-6 3PTers)!

However, Pavlovic scores to tie the game, while at the other end Ilgauskas blocks a layup attempt by Perkins, and Lebron comes away with the loose ball. He makes a fullcourt pass to a hustling Pavlovic, who's fouled by Allen to prevent the easy basket, so he proceeds to make one-of-two from the line (60-61 5:44).

A basket by Drew makes it a three-point deficit with 4:30 on the clock. Perk is then called for the offensive foul setting the screen on Gibson (Doc immediately pulls Kendrick in favor of Posey), as Cleveland regains possession ... but not for long, as Rondo steals the bad pass by Zydrunas, then gets the ball upcourt to Pierce who finds KG underneath the basket for the two-hand slam (64-65 4:04)!

Still, Lebron hits a three-pointer (Cleveland is 9-for-10 from the field in the quarter) to keep the crowd excited, but at the other end Garnett knocks down the fallaway jumper over Ilgauskas (66-68 3:07); Boston is now 7-of-15 shooting in the third.

This is getting to be a tight race, as Gooden and Pierce trade baskets, then Lebron makes the great bounce pass inside to Drew who scores over KG (68-72 2:04) ... incredible, Gooden has now made all seven of his shots in the quarter (18 PTS, 9-11 FG)!

Doc makes some substitions in the closing moments (Scals, House, and Glen "Macrosomia" Davis are all in) ... However, Gooden drains the turnaround "jay" with Davis right in his face to put the Cavs up six (68-74 :54.9).

Ray then misses a three-point attempt, but "Big Baby" grabs the offensive rebound and passes out to House, who finds Posey alone in the corner. Gibson goes to cover him, but James gives the little upfake to get "Boobie" up in the air, then drives to the basket where he is fouled by Brown while scoring the layup!

He steps to the line for a chance at the three-point play, but misses the free throw ... However, have no fear, "Big Baby" is here, as he secures the offensive board and scores on the putback (72-74 :24.8)!

That puts an end to the scoring in the quarter, as we head into the final stanza with Boston just down two ... However, the defense seemed to be out on break during those previous twelve minutes, as Cleveland shot an unbelievable 75 percent from the field (12-15 FG) in the third! It goes without saying that the Celts CANNOT allow something like that to happen again if they want to win this game.

FOURTH QUARTER

Posey, House, Scals, Davis, and Allen are in to start the final quarter ... Another basket by "Big Baby" (he muscled his way into the paint against Zydrunas) ties the score at 74 apiece, while at the other end Scalabrine blocks the three-point attempt by Brown (!) and House grabs the loose ball. He takes it back the other way, then gives the ball to Davis, who tries to make the bullet pass inside to Scals but it goes off one of the Cavs and out of bounds with four seconds left on the shot clock.

Eric "Fleece as White as" Snow is subbed in at this point for the first time, as he tries to stymie House on the inbounds pass. However, Eddie is able to get the ball to Scals, who buries the outside jumper just before the buzzer sounds (76-74 10:38)!

Ilgauskas then misses the outside shot, and Posey controls the rebound (it's time for the C's to make their run, I can feel it) ... He passes upcourt to House, who passes inside to Scalabrine. However, Brian gives it right back to Eddie behind the three-point line and he buries it (79-74 10:00)!

Cleveland calls for time, and when play resumes Lebron comes back into the game ... Meanwhile, Davis is called for the defensive three-second violation, so Zydrunas is elected to shoot the free throw (really?) and he makes it with 9:46 remaining; that makes it a four-point game, but it's still Cavs' possession and James makes his presence felt by draining the outside jumper (79-77 9:31).

Lebron's return to the floor seems to have his teammates re-energized, as Gooden strips Scals of the ball; James picks it up and goes coast to coast before being hacked by Posey underneath the basket, so he steps to the line and makes both foul shots to tie things up again (79-all 9:14).

Garnett comes back into the game at this point (Davis takes a seat), when House misses the three-point attempt and Ilgauskas grabs the rebound. He gives the ball to Lebron, who dribbles upcourt before pulling up for the three-point shot of his own; that too misses, but Gooden snares the offensive board and passes back to James, who pulls up over Pierce and buries the jumper (79-81 8:37).

Lebron then picks off the pass by Posey (he actually pulled Pierce away from the ball by the jersey to cause the turnover, but the refs wouldn't call it) as we head back the other way ... He passes to Zydrunas, who kicks it out to Gibson wide open behind the three-point line. His shot misses, but Pierce fouls Big Z going for the loose rebound. That means it's still Cavaliers' ball, and Gibson slices down the lane for the layup (79-83 8:02).

Two free throws by "Big Baby" (he's already back into the game, as Doc is trying to counter Cleveland's big men) cuts the deficit down to two, while at the other end Lebron misses the three-point basket but Zydrunas grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Gooden, who buries the jumper over Davis (83-87 6:40); man, Drew is now an eye-popping 10-for-12 from the field!

It's starting to fall apart now, as Rondo rebounds a missed three-point attempt by Allen, but his putback attempt is blocked by Ilgauskas out of bounds ... It's still Celtics' possession, however Pavlovic strips Ray of the ball and KG winds up fouling him trying to get it back.

That gives Cleveland a chance to extend their lead, but Pierce tips the ball away from Lebron and Allen is able to recover. He heads back the other way to start the Boston fast break, as he passes to Rondo who gives it right back to Ray and he takes it into Zydrunas' chest for the layup ... Not only that, but the refs call the foul on Big Z, so Allen steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (86-87 6:01)!

Pavlovic then misses the three-point attempt, but Gooden tips the loose rebound out to Gibson; he passes back inside to Drew, who tries to drive on Garnett but misses the layup (finally!) and Zydrunas can't tip it in. KG comes away with the rebound and passes up ahead to Pierce, who's bumped by Lebron taking it to the basket. That sends Paul to the line, where he makes both free throws to put Boston back ahead (88-87 5:18).

However, both teams go cold at this point, combining for seven missed field goals in the next three minutes (Perk even bricks two free throws!) ... A basket by Garnett with 2:40 to go makes it a three-point Celtics lead, but Lebron quickly answers as he takes the pass from Gooden and slices down the lane against Pierce for the layup (90-89 2:20).

After a Boston timeout, Ray scores on the floater over the outstretched hand of Ilgauskas (92-89 2:01).

James then misses the shot, and Allen controls the rebound; he gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, who passes to Pierce, and he (in turn) gives it up to Garnett. He tries the outside jumper over Gooden, but comes up short and Zydrunas grabs the rebound.

Now Cleveland calls for time with 1:10 left in the game ... When play resumes, Gibson passes the ball to Lebron; he's double-teamed, so he quickly gives it back to "Boobie" and he swings it around to an open Pavlovic for the three-pointer (92-all :59.0)!

Ray then tries to answer with a three-point shot of his own; that misses, but Kevin secures the offensive rebound and Doc calls time with just 37.6 seconds remaining ... Allen inbounds the ball to Rondo, who gets it to Pierce at the top of the key. He drives down the lane, then tries to make the bounce pass to KG, but it gets away from him (uh oh).

Luckily, Garnett is able to recover the ball, and gives it up to Allen. Now it's his turn to drive down the lane, but Pavlovic reaches in to try and knock the ball away and the refs actually call it (that's surprising) ... So, that puts Ray at the line with 23.1 seconds on the clock for a chance to give Boston the lead. However, he misses the first free throw (!), then backrims the second!

Now THAT is surprising ... Lebron grabs the rebound and Cleveland calls for time with 22.8 seconds left and a chance for the final shot. When play resumes, Damon inbounds the ball to James, and he holds his ground with Pierce covering him.

Agonizing moments pass by, before Lebron finally makes his move with six seconds to go ... He pulls up over Paul for the jumper, but barely hits the front of the rim (whew!) and Allen comes away with the rebound as the buzzer sounds.

So, with the score knotted at 92-all, that means we're heading into ooovertime ...

FIRST OVERTIME

Celts have their starters on the floor to open overtime, as Gooden wins the tap versus KG and Gibson ends up with the ball ... He finds Lebron, who makes up for his previous shot by taking it to the basket and scoring on the layup (92-94 4:40).

Meanwhile, Boston has trouble setting up their offense, and Allen ends up having his shot attempt blocked by James for the shot clock violation! Cleveland regains possession, and Pavlovic drives down the lane against Ray before scoring on the layup (92-96 3:47).

No need to panic yet, as KG banks in a shot to get the C's back within two; at the other end, Pavlovic misses the three-point attempt and Perk controls the rebound. He gives it to Rondo, who takes it back the other way, then passes to Allen in the paint. He kicks it out to Pierce, who finds Rondo open in the corner ... however, he airballs the shot (!) and Gooden comes away with the loose board.

He passes to Gibson, who slowly brings the ball upcourt (they feel no need to rush things at this point) before giving it up to Lebron at the top of the key. He tries to make the alleyoop pass inside to Gooden, but Drew can't control it and Perkins collects the loose ball ... That gives Boston another chance to inch closer, as Garnett is fouled by Gooden going for the pullup "jay"; Kevin proceeds to take his place at the charity stripe, where he makes the first free throw but misses the second (95-96 2:07).

Unfortunately, Lebron follows that up by burying the trey to really get the crowd rocking (dang) ... Rondo tries to quickly answer, but misses the shot (Boston is just 1-of-4 from the field in OT) and Gooden grabs the rebound. He gives it to Gibson, who again takes his time bringing the ball upcourt, before passing to Lebron; he really tries to put the dagger in the Celts' collective heart with another three-point attempt, but (luckily) that's wide of the mark.

Rondo grabs the rebound, as Doc calls for time with 1:11 on the clock ... When play resumes, Pierce tries to work the baseline with two defenders on him; he's forced to try and kick the ball out to Ray, but Pavlovic picks it off (ugh). He passes to Gibson, who quickly finds Lebron up the floor, where he drives to the basket and Allen gives the foul. The puts LJ at the line, and he makes both free throws (95-101 :54.3).

Things are looking bleak, as Ray miss the three-point and Gooden controls the rebound. He hands the ball off to Lebron, who tries to make a fullcourt pass up ahead to Gibson, but Posey (just into the game for defensive purposes) lives up to his reputation by snatching the ball out of the air. He takes it back the other way, then finds Pierce alone behind the three-point line, but he also misses (dammit!) and Gibson pulls down the rebound.

House quickly fouls him to stop the clock, and "Boobie" makes one-of-two from the line to make it a seven-point deficit (95-102 :29.8) ... After a 20-second timeout, Ray buries the trey with exactly 24 seconds left in overtime. Garnett then immediately fouls Lebron to put him at the line (as the crowd starts an "MVP! MVP!" chant), where he makes both free throws (98-104 :23.4).

Boston uses their final timeout, and when play resumes Posey inbounds the ball to Pierce. He finds Allen behind the arc, but his three-point attempt is wide of the mark, and Newble grabs the rebound. KG again gives the foul, so it's back to the line for two more free throws (98-106 :16.5) ... Pierce and Posey both add treys in the closing moments, but it's too little too late, as the Celts fall for only the second time this season, 104 to 109.

FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Cleveland 109 (OT)

GAME RATING:


10
PULLING A WIGGUM


BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
  • R. Allen: 49 MIN, 29 PTS (10-25 FG, 5-12 3PTers), 7 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL
  • Garnett: 43 MIN, 19 PTS (8-14 FG), 5 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK
  • Pierce: 44 MIN, 16 PTS (5-15 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 6 REB, 5 AST, 4 TO
  • Perkins: 31 MIN, 11 PTS (3-6 FG), 5 REB, 3 BLK, 2 STL
  • Posey: 20 MIN, 11 PTS (4-8 FG, 3-5 3PTers), 6 REB, 1 STL
CLEVELAND TOP PERFORMERS:
  • James: 45 MIN, 38 PTS (11-25 FG, 2-8 3PTers), 13 AST, 4 REB, 2 STL, 2 BLK
  • Gooden: 42 MIN, 24 PTS (11-15 FG), 13 REB
  • Ilgauskas: 44 MIN, 15 PTS (6-9 FG), 14 REB, 5 AST, 4 BLK
  • Pavlovic: 44 MIN, 16 PTS (6-13 FG), 5 REB, 3 AST, 3 STL
TONIGHT'S COG (CELT OF THE GAME): Ray Allen

POST-GAME NOTES:
  • It was another night where Boston let an opponent shoot nearly 50 percent from the floor (38-79 FG) ... The C's, meanwhile, were shooting at 43 percent themselves (37-86 FG)
  • Last time the Celtics won a game in Cleveland was December of '04 (yikes).
  • Rondo had a tough shooting night (3 PTS, 1-9 FG), but did lead the team in assists (6 AST, 0 TO) and was tied for the lead in rebounds (7 REB).
  • "Big Baby" was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
  • To fill up a roster spot in the absence of T-Allen, the Celts recalled Just Pruitt from the Developmental League, where he played two games for the Utah Flash ... including a 31 point effort (12-23 FG) against the Anaheim Arsenal (nba.com) on Saturday in which he hit the game-winning shot.

Recap: Game 12 (at Charlotte)

BOSTON CELTICS AT CHARLOTTE BOBCATS

November 24, 2007
7:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Charlotte Bobcats Arena (Charlotte, NC)
Announcers
: Mike An-Gorman-agement 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
Bobcats Starting Lineup: Jason "Sensation" Richardson, Everybody Loves Raymond Felton, Pasta Primoz-Vera Brezec, Jared "Subway" Dudley, Emeka Lekka Hi Mekka Hiney Okafor

The glitz and glamour was evident last night against the Los Angeles Lakers ... yes, the eyes of Hollywood were on the Celtics, but now the team has to come back down to Earth and maintain their focus against a scrappy young Charlotte club.

FIRST QUARTER

Felton makes a nice pass inside to Dudley (in the first starting assignment of his pro career) for the layup to open the quarter; at the other end, Rondo misses the shot and Okafor comes away with the rebound. He gives the ball to Felton, who tries to make a fullcourt bounce pass (hmm) to Richardson underneath the basket, but it gets ahead of him and bounces right out of bounds. That gives Boston back possession, and Pierce makes the quick move around Dudley and goes in for the layup (2-all 10:53).

Dudley answers with the outside jumper (this rookie has come to play tonight), then Pierce tries the fallaway "jay" over young Chris but comes up short; Richardson snares the rebound and takes it upcourt himself, where he finds Felton who passes right back to Jason and he pulls up for the 15-footer. The shot clanks off the side of the rim, however Dudley comes away with the offensive board and kicks it out to Felton, who quickly passes inside to Okafor.

He's covered by Perkins, so he passes to Richardson; Kendrick switches off to keep an eye on him, so Jason feeds the ball right back inside to Emeka. He goes for the hook shot, but KG flies into the picture and rejects the shot big time (his hand made a nice "SMACK" sound when it connected with the ball); Felton collects the loose ball, but has to hoist up an off-balance three-point attempt to beat the shot clock. That misses, and Perk grabs the rebound; he passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Ray standing at the free-throw line, where he pulls up and buries the jumper (4-all 9:27).

With 9:15 to go in the quarter, Perk is whistled for the defensive three-second violation; Felton makes the free throw to put Charlotte back ahead, as the Bobcats retain possession. However, Felton tries the deep three-point attempt over Rondo and the shot bounces off the rim and out of bounds; now Boston takes back control, and Garnett hits the fallaway jumper over Okafor (6-5 8:47).

Richardson then misses the outside shot, but Dudley gets another offensive board and kicks it out to Felton, who drives down the lane and is bumped by Rondo while taking the shot. The ball rolls in and out of the rim (oooh, that was close), so that means two free throw attempts for Raymond and he proceeds to make both of them (6-7 8:22).

At the other end, Allen misses the three-point attempt, but Rondo goes up high for the offensive rebound (nice work from your point guard if you can get it); he tries to score on the putback, but comes up short and Dudley grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Richardson, who passes inside to Okafor but he misses the shot (that's the sixth straight miss for Charlotte). However, Brezec grabs the offensive board and lays it in (6-9 7:34).

A jumper by Allen (Boston is now 4-for-8 from the floor) cuts the deficit to one, then Brezec is called for travelling to give the Celts back possession; KG backrims the shot over Okafor, but Ray secures the offensive rebound and tries for the pullup jumper. That too misses, and Okafor comes away with the loose 'bound, passing to Felton who dribbles upcourt before giving the ball back to a hustling Emeka for the two-hand slam (8-11 6:08).

The Bobcats are in a groove right now, as Brezec blocks a layup attempt by Perkins; Felton grabs the loose ball and goes coast to coast before taking it inside for the layup attempt which is goaltended by Garnett (8-13 5:42) ... Kevin answers with the basket to get Boston within three, then Felton misses the outside jumper and Pierce grabs the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who quickly brings the ball upcourt, then gives it back to Paul and he swings it around to KG for the open jumper (12-13 4:51).

At the other end, Richardson comes up short on the jumpshot, and Ray corrals the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who takes it back the other way, and then passes inside to Perkins; he backs down Okafor before throwing in the hook shot (14-13 4:13).

Okafor then misses and Ray grabs the loose rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, where he finds Pierce in the corner. With Dudley covering him, Paul takes a step back and knocks down the pullup jumper (16-13 3:40); not bad, as the Celts are now shooting 53 percent from the field (8-15 FG).

A basket by Felton (the Bobcats, meanwhile, are shooting 6-for-15) cuts the lead to just one, then Pierce misses the three-point attempt and Richardson grabs the rebound. He takes it back the other way, and goes all the way in against Allen for the layup (16-17 2:49).

Ray tries to answer, but misses the three-point attempt; however, Perk pulls down the offensive board and is fouled by Brezec trying to score on the putback. That puts Kendrick at the line with 2:30 on the clock, and Scotty 2 Hotty comes into the game to give KG the early rest. Meanwhile, Perkins makes one-of-two from the line to tie the score at 17 apiece.

Charlotte tries to take back the advantage, but Okafor mishandles the pass from Felton and the ball goes out of bounds. That gives Boston back possession at the 2:14 mark, and during the stoppage of play Parker Posey comes in to replace Perk ... However, the C's can't capitalize as Jeff McInnis To Winnis blocks the shot by Allen out of bounds. Boston gets another chance at it, but Pierce misses the jumpshot and Matt "Christmas" Carroll controls the rebound.

He passes to McInnis, who dribbles upcourt, but Posey knocks the ball out of his hands and out of bounds; it's still Bobcats' ball, but Carroll isn't aware of the time and the shot clock goes off before he can take the shot. Boston regains possession, and Posey is left open for the three-pointer (20-17 1:15).

Carroll answers with the jumper, then at the other end Rondo passes inside to Pollard; he gives the upfake to get Brezec off his feet, and absorbs the contact to draw the foul. That puts Scotty at the line, where he makes one-of-two from the line (21-19 :37.1).

Unfortunately, Brezec is left wide open for the dunk just before the buzzer sounds, so we end the quarter tied up at 23 apiece.

SECOND QUARTER

The Scals of Justice, Hugh Laurie, Tony, Pollard, and Posey are in to start the quarter ... A layup by Scals off the nice pass from House puts Boston ahead with 9:36 on the clock.

Super Jermareo Davidson then misses the shot, but Carroll controls the offensive rebound and dishes it out to McInnis, who tries to get it back inside to Matt but Allen slaps the ball out of his hands and out of bounds with three seconds left on the shot clock.

Felton (back into the game during the stoppage of play) is forced to take a quick shot which misses, and Pollard snares the board ... At the other end, Tony takes it hard to the bucket and draws the contact from Davidson, so that puts him at the line where he makes both foul shots (31-27 8:45).

However, Okafor immediately answers with the basket over Pollard, plus he is fouled (whoops). He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (31-30 8:32).

House misses a three-point attempt, and Dudley scores the loose rebound; he passes upcourt to Felton, who gets the ball inside to Okafor. The defense collapses on him, so Emeka kicks it right back out to Raymond open behind the three-point line; his shot misses, but Posey and House end up fighting each other for the rebound, causing the ball to bounce harmlessly out of bounds with 8:02 on the clock.

Garnett and Pierce come back into the game (replacing Pollard and Allen) as it's still Bobcats' ball ... However, KG blocks the shot by Okafor and Posey comes away with the loose ball. He gets it upcourt to House, and he passes back to Posey but he misses the outside shot. Scals tries to go up for the putback dunk (!) but misses and Felton pulls down the loose rebound; we head back the other way, as Richardson ends up knocking down the three-pointer (31-33 7:15)!

Two free throws by Dudley make it a four-point Charlotte lead, then Scals misses the three-point shot but Rondo sneaks in for the offensive board (nice). He gets the ball to Pierce, who makes the bullet pass inside to Posey ... however, he can't score on the reverse layup, and Okafor gets the rebound. He passes to Felton, who dribbles coast to coast and takes it all the way in for the layup (31-37 6:11); damn, that was too easy.

Glenn Rivers M.D. calls a timeout, and when play resumes Perk and Ray are back in game ... however, that doesn't help Boston's offensive woes, as Pierce misses the layup attempt (!) and Dudley grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Felton, who finds Davidson in the corner but he can't knock down the jumpshot.

KG collects the carom, then gets it to Ray, who takes it the other way and pulls up for the 15-footer ... That's wide of the mark (Boston is 1-for-9 from the field in the quarter thus far), and Richardson comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then finds Felton alone for another three-pointer (31-40 5:10).

Things are not looking good, as KG misses the turnaround jumper ... However, he grabs his own rebound and finishes with the LOUD one-hand slam (there was some anger behind that dunk)! Emeka tried to stop him, but just ends up being called for the foul, so Kevin steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (34-40 4:49).

That might rile up the troops, as Davidson is called for the three-second violation at the other end; Boston regains possession, as Garnett passes inside to Perkins who is covered by Okafor. Perk goes for the hook shot, which misses, but Emeka fouls Pierce going for the loose rebound. That's his third, so Brezec comes back onto the floor to replace him ... Meanwhile, Charlotte is over the limit, so Paul takes his place at the line and sinks both foul shots (36-40 4:17).

Dudley misses the jumpshot (the Bobcats are shooting 16-for-33 tonight) and KG grabs the rebound (his fourth). He gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, where he passes to Pierce, who gives the upfake to elude Dudley and then takes it inside to the rim. That draws the foul on Davidson (his third), so Paul adds two more free throws to his resume to get the Celts back within two (38-40 3:24).

Richardson hits the pullup jumper to quell Boston's little mini-surge, then Pierce gets slapped across the arms by Dudley going for the shot but no foul is called (the C's are now 12-for-35 shooting from the field). Felton picks up the loose ball and takes it back the other way, where he finds Richardson for the three-pointer (38-45 2:39); that's 12 points now for Jason.

Perk is then called for the offensive foul setting a screen on Walter Herrmann-Munster, so Charlotte regains possession ... However, Richardson can't connect on the shot and Pierce comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then drives down the lane into Dudley where he draws the foul while scoring the basket (Heinsohn says that was a makeup call for the previous possession). That gives Paul a chance for the three-point play with 1:48 left in the quarter; he misses the free throw, but Brezec fouls KG going for the rebound. Thus, Kevin makes a trip to the charity strip, and makes both of his foul shots (42-45 1:46).

Now the Celts have a little momentum going again, as Dudley bricks the outside shot and Garnett grabs the rebound, which he follows up by making the fullcourt pass to a hustling Rondo for the layup (44-45 1:23)! Herrmann then misses the three-point attempt, and Rondo snares the loose board; he takes it upcourt and finds Pierce in the corner, who fakes taking a three-pointer but instead passes inside to KG for the open layup (46-45 :57.5)!

Great play, as Kevin is having a big night thus far (13 PTS, 5 REB) ... Unfortunately, Dudley ruins things by taking it to the hoop against KG to draw the foul while scoring the layup (dang). He makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (46-48 :48.6).

Rondo and Hermann trade baskets, then Rajon loses the ball out of bounds and Charlotte regains possession with 17.4 ticks remaining ... The Bobcats go for the final possession, as Felton finds Richardson in the corner where he buries the off-balance three-pointer (48-53 :01.8)! That's 15 points for Jason, as he's the game's high scorer.

Celts can't get a shot off, so they trail at the half 48 to 53.

THIRD QUARTER

Perk scores a layup to open the second half, then Okafor misses the shot and Garnett controls the rebound. He gives it to Rondo, who takes it upcourt, then gives it back to KG; he tries to shoot over Felton, but comes up short and Okafor grabs the board.

At the other end, Brezec's shot bounces in and out of the rim, and Pierce pulls down the rebound; he takes it coast to coast and tries to score over Richardson, but comes up short and Jason comes away with the board. He takes it back the other way, and makes the bounce pass inside to Okafor with Garnett covering him. Not only does he still score the layup, but the refs also whistle Kevin for the foul, and Emeka adds the free throw to complete the three-point play (50-56 10:47).

Perkins throws in a hook shot over Okafor (7 PTS, 3-5 FG) to get Boston back within four, then Emeka misses the outside jumper and KG corrals the loose rebound. However, he tries to make the quick outlet pass to Pierce, and the ball goes sailing out of bounds for the turnover. That gives Charlotte back possession, as Felton drives down the lane for the layup attempt; that misses, but Okafor is there for the offensive board and is fouled by Pierce trying to score on the putback. That puts him at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (52-57 9:46).

KG answers with the bucket, while at the other end Dudley steps out of bounds ... It's Celtics' ball with a chance to edge closer, as Pierce takes it into the paint and tries to pass to Perk, but Okafor slaps the ball into the sidelines. It's still Boston possession with just five seconds left on the shot clock, so Rondo inbounds to Ray who misses the quick jumper, but little Rajon comes away with the offensive rebound.

He gives the ball to KG, who makes the nice pass inside to Pierce cutting down the lane for the layup (56-57 8:44) ... That's the third assists for Garnett, but Boston as a team only has nine assists total for the game thus far (not good).

Felton then loses the ball out of bounds for another turnover ... The Celts regain possession, and Ray knocks down the outside jumper (58-57 8:16); he's just 3-for-10 from the field but Boston has retaken the lead so it's all good.

Richardson then comes up short on the jumpshot, but Brezec grabs the offensive rebound and is fouled by Perk while scoring the layup (dammit!). That puts Primoz at the line, where he makes the free throw to put Charlotte back up by two (58-60 7:56).

KG buries the outside shot (17 PTS, 7-11 FG) to tie the game, then Okafor hits the pullup jumper in the lane over Perkins (60-62 7:24).

Ray answers with a three-pointer (15 PTS, 5-11 FG) to put Boston back ahead, but at the other end Emeka misses the hook shot over Perk and gets his own rebound before scoring with the layup (63-64 6:50).

Perk then misses and Brezec controls the rebound; he gets it to Felton, who dribbles upcourt before passing back to Primoz, but KG strips him and Rondo picks up the loose ball ... He takes it back the other way, and dishes the ball to Pierce, who sees Garnett hustling up the floor so he throws him the alleyoop pass for the dunk (65-64 6:19)!

Felton then tries to make the spin move around Rondo, but just trips over his own two feet and loses the ball out of bounds ... That's Charlotte's tenth turnover, as Pierce backs down Richardson in the paint and tries for the turnaround jumper. He comes up with an airball (!), but luckily Okafor tips the loose rebound out of bounds.

Boston retains possession, but Ray misses the three-point attempt, and Felton winds up with the carom ... We head back the other way, where Richardson takes it in against Posey (who just returned to the game to replace Perkins), and James gives the foul. That puts Jason at the line, where he makes both free throws to regain the lead for the Bobcats (65-66 5:01).

Posey tries to make up for things with the three-point shot, but it's wide of the mark and Richardson is up high for the rebound. He gets the ball to Felton, who tries to pass inside to Okafor, but Garnett knocks it away and Pierce winds up with the loose ball ... Paul ends up sending the bullet pass inside to Posey, who scores on the layup while being fouled by Davidson; he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (68-66 4:27).

Carroll then draws the foul on Pierce with an upfake (Paul doesn't agree with the call, as Gorman describes his reaction as "mystified") ... Hmm, that puts Matt at the line, where he makes both foul shots to again tie the score (68-all 4:14).

Pierce and Felton trade baskets, then Davidson is whistled for the defensive three-second violation; Ray makes the free throw to put Boston back up by one, as the Celtics retain possession with a chance to extend it further ... Unfortunately, Pierce has his shot attempt blocked by Okafor, and Felton comes away with the loose ball. He quickly gets it upcourt to McInnis, who swings the ball back around to Raymond and he scores on the pullup jumper over the outstretched hand of Allen (71-72 2:40).

Pierce is then called for travelling (Boston's seventh turnover), and Richardson makes the Celts pay by nailing another trey (71-75 2:11); hey, that rhymes ... KG answers with the finger-roll, then Okafor misses the shot and Garnett comes away with the rebound. He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Posey spotting up in the corner and he buries a three-pointer of his own (76-75 1:33)!

Felton tries to score quickly with the jumpshot over Rondo, but that's no good and House gets the rebound. He gets the ball to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and finds Ray in the paint, but he mishandles the pass for the turnover ... The Bobcats regain possession, and a foul is called on KG away from the ball trying to keep Okafor out of the paint; Boston is now over the limit, so Emeka steps to the line with 44.3 seconds remaining and proceeds to miss both free throws!

That's a lucky break, as Kevin secures the rebound and passes upcourt to Rondo, who kicks it out to House and he tries to force the pass inside to Garnett ... However, Dudley slaps it away and the ball ends up going off KG out of bounds (not such a lucky break there).

So, Charlotte has the ball with 14.4 seconds left on the clock, with a chance to go into the fourth with the lead ... McInnis is able to lose House off the dribble and gets a good look at the basket, but his jumpshot comes up empty (whew!) meaning that Boston still leads by one (76-75) heading into the final stanza.

FOURTH QUARTER

Pollard blocks a layup attempt by Dudley to force the shot clock violation in the opening possession of the quarter (yeah, let's get those defensive juices flowing early!). That gives the Celtics the opportunity to strike first, as Ray makes a nice pass inside to Scotty for the layup ... or rather, it SHOULD have been for a layup, as Okafor takes it off the glass for the obvious goaltending violation.

However, the refs (apparently) don't see it, as no call is made and the ball winds up going out of bounds. It's still Celtics' ball, but Ray misses the outside jumpshot and McInnis comes away with the rebound (great, so we were just screwed out of a basket).

Charlotte can't capitalize on the gift that the referees have bestowed upon them, as Felton misses the pullup "jay" (thanks to Allen getting up in his face on defense) and Rajon takes down the loose board ... Unfortunately, House fails to connect on his shot at the other end, as Dudley rebounds the mmiss and passes to McInnis, who takes it upcourt and finds Carroll for the three-pointer (76-78 10:37); shit, that's a five-point swing all thanks to a lousy call by the refs. Someone must be trying to cover the spread.

A layup by Dudley makes it a four-point deficit with 9:40 left on the clock, but House answers with the sweet no-look pass inside to Posey who scores on the layup of his own (80-82 9:25).

Dudley then sets a pick on Ray, leaving Richardson wide open to knock down another trey (Charlotte is now 7-for-10 from three-point land) ... However, at the other end, Ray drives down the lane to get Jason's attention on defense, leaving Pierce wide open for the retaliatory three-ball (83-85 8:39)!

However, it won't be that easy, as McInnis answers with a basket to get the Bobcats' lead back up to four. Posey then tries the turnaround jumpshot over Dudley; it misses, but Brezec fouls Pollard going for the rebound with (low-flying) 7:47 left in the game ... Doc takes the opportunity to sub Garnett back in (replacing Scotty). When play resumes, Pierce makes the nice bounce pass inside to KG who - all rested and relaxed - is able to throw down the monster one handed dunk (85-87 7:42).

Jared then misses, and House grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt and passes inside to Garnett; the Charlotte defense immediately collapses around him (he's got these guys scared now), so Kevin kicks it out to an open Posey for the three-point basket (88-87 7:08)!

After a Bobcats timeout, Dudley passes the ball to Richardson, but is called for the offensive foul setting the screen on Pierce! That gives Boston back possession, but House can't capitalize as he misses the pullup jumper over McInnis and Richardson comes down with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself and goes for the turnaround "jay" over Pierce; that misses, and Dudley fouls Posey going for the rebound.

Celts have another chance to extend their lead, but KG is whistled for the offensive foul trying to set up position in the paint against Okafor ... That's his third foul, as he lets out an audible "Shit!" in the referee's direction; careful Kevin, we don't need you adding a technical foul here!

Luckily, the refs don't call anything (guess they didn't hear him), but it's still Charlotte's possession ... Felton tries to make the crosscourt pass to Dudley, however House snatches it away and gets the ball upcourt to Pierce, who is fouled by McInnis to prevent the easy basket. That puts Paul at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (89-87 5:48).

Richardson hits yet another trey (yikes) to put the Bobcats back ahead, while at the other end Pierce's pass inside to KG is too strong and sails out of bounds. That gives Charlotte back possession, but Felton spends a little too much time dribbling before giving the ball to Richardson in the corner. That gives Pierce and Garnett plenty of time to surround Jason and block off any chance for escape; with the shot clock winding down, he's forced to take the deep jumpshot right before the buzzer sounds ... and wouldn't you know it, he banks that sucker in (89-92 4:33)!

Unbelievable shot, as Boston calls a timeout ... When play resumes, Felton is being a little too aggressive defensively while guarding Ray, as the refs whistle him for the foul. Charlotte is now over the limit, so that puts Allen at the line where he makes both free throws (91-92 4:24).

At the other end, Ray shows Raymond the correct way to play aggressive defense, as he slaps the ball cleanly out of his hands; Pierce picks it up and takes it back the other way, where he's bumped by Felton while scoring the layup (I guess Raymond will never learn). That puts Paul at the line with 4:02 left in the game, but he misses the free throw (dammit!) and Okafor hauls away the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to McInnis, who's covered by House but still manages to bury the jumper (93-94 3:35).

Celts look rattled, as Pierce has his layup attempt blocked by Okafor (ouch) and McInnis is able to collect the loose ball. He takes it back the other way, passing to Felton who finds Okafor underneath the basket. He's covered by KG, so he kicks it back out to Raymond, who misses the three-point attempt but Dudley grabs the offensive board and calls timeout with 2:22 on the clock.

When play resumes, Rondo is back into the game in place of House ... However, Felton takes it right at Rajon to draw the foul, earning himself a trip to the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (93-95 2:06).

Posey then backrims a three-point attempt (not a very good shot) and Okafor controls the rebound. He passes to McInnis, but he takes his time bringing the ball up the floor and is whistled for the rare 8-second violation! Wow, I'm shocked, as Boston regains possession and Rondo tries to make the bounce pass inside to KG ... However, Kevin can't get to it and the ball sails out of bounds.

A wasted opportunity there, as Charlotte calls for another timeout with 1:12 remaining in the game. When play resumes, Felton drives down the lane and tries to take it in against Garnett, but KG bothers the shot to cause the miss and Rondo collects the rebound. He takes the ball upcourt, then passes to Pierce who goes for the quick three-point attempt that doesn't find the mark (hmm).

Dudley grabs the rebound and passes to Felton; he dribbles up the floor as Doc is telling his players not to foul, so Raymond tries to take some time off the clock before passing inside to Okafor. However, Emeka fumbles it away, and there's a mad scrum on the floor to try and get the loose ball ... The shot clock goes off with neither team having possession, so that's a turnover in Boston's favor.

That means that the Celts have a chance to tie or go ahead with just 16.6 seconds on the clock ... Doc has his shooters on the floor (Ray, KG, Pierce, Posey and House), as Allen inbounds the ball to Paul. He swings the ball around to House, who passes back to Pierce standing at the free throw line (with Richardson all over him). He still tries for the fallaway jumpshot, but frontrims it and Felton comes away with the rebound.

Aw crap, Ray has to grab him as things are looking bleak ... However, Boston is not yet over the limit, so Charlotte has to inbound the ball rather than go to the free-throw line.

So, with seconds left on the clock, all Richardson has to do is inbound the ball so that the Celts are forced to foul ... He tries to get it to McInnis, but House gets a hand on the pass (!) and Pierce grabs the loose ball; he kicks it out to an open Ray Allen (!!) who buries the three-pointer at the buzzer!!! Holy shit!!!!

The Celtics bench is out on the floor mobbing Allen, as the Bobcats players have pretty much collapsed in a collective heap ... The refs still have to review the shot, but there's no chance they take that basket away (replays clearly show that the red lights around the backboard went off after the shot had already gone in).

Sure enough, the basket counts, and the Celts escape with the improbable 96-95 victory ... I do believe in miracles!

FINAL SCORE: Boston 96, Charlotte 95

GAME RATING:


10
PULLING A WIGGUM


BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Pierce: 38 MIN, 23 PTS (8-19 FG), 7 AST, 4 REB
  • Garnett: 37 MIN, 23 PTS (10-15 FG), 11 REB, 5 AST, 3 BLK, 2 STL
  • R. Allen: 41 MIN, 14 PTS (4-15 FG, 1-6 3PTers), 5 AST, 4 REB
  • Posey: 28 MIN, 14 PTS (5-10 FG)
  • Rondo: 34 MIN, 6 PTS (3-5 FG), 7 REB, 3 AST, 3 TO
CHARLOTTE TOP PERFORMERS:
  • Richardson: 35 MIN, 25 PTS (9-17 FG, 5-5 3PTers), 9 REB, 5 AST
  • Felton: 39 MIN, 18 PTS (6-17 FG), 9 AST
  • Okafor: 37 MIN, 15 PTS (6-13 FG), 9 REB, 4 BLK
TONIGHT'S COG (CELT OF THE GAME): Kevin Garnett

POST-GAME NOTES:
  • Geraldo Wallace was announced as being part of the starting lineup mere moments before the start of the game, but ended up not playing at all (strained calf).
  • Speaking of injuries, Tony Allen sat out the second half, suffering a right thigh bruise during the first-half action.
  • An irregular night at the defensive end for Boston, as they allowed the Bobcats to shoot nearly 50 percent from the floor (36-74 FG). The Celts, meanwhile, were down around 44 percent (34-78 FG).
  • It should come as no surprise that Ray Allen was the Tommy Award winner ...