SB Nation User Blog: Alessandro

The Big Baby-Magic fan shovefest ... in video-game form!

Alessandro — Thu, 14 May 2009 19:39:22 -0000

So, I figure that the "altercation" between Big Baby and that young Orlando Magic fan hasn't been driven into the ground enough, so I've captured the spirit of the moment with this rip-off ... er, homage to the arcade classic "Pac-Man".

Introducing ... BigBabyMan!

Ernest Provetti (orlandosentinel.com) will stop at nothing to get an apology out of Glen "Big Baby" Davis! Eat the power-ups to enter "Raging Animal" mode and shut his trap!

via cache.content.fyrebug.com

INSTRUCTIONS
Use your keyboard arrow keys to move through the maze. When you grab one of the power items in the corner, you will be able to chase down and defeat the enemies!

Click here (fyrebug.com) to play the game, or you could check out my blog (parquetwishesandleprechaundreams.com) for some of my previous gaming creations ... each one crappier than the last ;)

Marc Spears doesn't read comic books

Alessandro — Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:53:36 -0000

via PWALD

Whilst browsing the Boston Globe website this morning, my eyes were drawn towards this excerpt from an article penned by one Marc Spears (boston.com):

Garnett said he's looking forward to the added workload next week.

"That's fine. I'm with whatever the program calls for. At this point it's about getting better and getting healthier," he said. "I think Doc is worried about my wind a little bit. I told him I'm like [a] wolverine, I adjust quickly. They're trying to put the reins on me and I want to go, I want to go, I want to go a little bit. They just want to make sure that come playoff time I'm more than solid so everything's a precautionary mechanism."

Obviously, the brackets highlighted above signify Mr. Spears' belief that KG unintentionally left out an important article in that sentence, and was referring to your common everyday furry carnivorous mammal (en.wikipedia.org) ... However, if this were the case, then Kevin's comparison fails to make much sense; I mean, since when have wolverines been known for their "quick adjustments"? I guess they're fast little suckers, but that's not really the same thing.

No, Mister Spears, I would conjecture that Kevin was instead talking about Wolverine (note the capitalization of the w to signify a proper name) and - more specifically - the Marvel hero's mutant healing factor (wikia.com).

I guess we can't really blame Marc for not being a comic-book geek ... Big dude like that was probably a jock in high school, ripping the comix out of little kids' hands before stuffing them into their lockers ;)

Red versus the Zen Master: the video game!

Alessandro — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 11:48:07 -0000

Phil Jackson has a chance to win the most titles of any coach in NBA history ... Help Mister Auerbach prevent that from happening by chucking his vast collection of Larry O'Brien Trophies right at Jackson's fat head!

INSTRUCTIONS Move left and right using the mouse, and press the mouse button to shoot. Avoid the floating disembodied Jackson heads while collecting power-ups (the Celtics logo)!

Select "Full Screen" under "Menu" for best results ...

Recap: Game 42 (at Orlando)

Alessandro — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 00:34:36 -0000

BOSTON CELTICS AT ORLANDO MAGIC

January 27, 2008
1:00 PM EST (ABC)
Amway Arena (Orlando, FL)
Announcers: Mike Tirico-Suave and Hubie "The Love Bug" Brown ; Stuart Scott to Trot, Michael Wilbon-fire of the Vanities and Bill CTRL-Walton-DEL (in-studio) ; Lisa Salters n Peppa (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Scalitosis, Da Troof
Magic Starting Lineup: Maurice "The Pants Man" Evans, Carlos "El Loco" Arroyo, Dwight Howard Fine and Howard, Ahmad Rashard Lewis, Hedo "Nism" Turkoglu

Having played .500-basketball over the last few weeks, the Celtics needed an emotional victory like the one they had against the Minnesota T-Wolves the other night, something that could light a fire under them ... Unfortunately, it looks like that win is proving to be more costly than originally thought.

During said game, Kevvy G suffered an abdominal strain and - while in obvious pain - gutted it out (no pun intended) and provided a key defensive play in the waning moments to preserve the win.

Now, that injury is going to keep him out of action for this afternoon's contest in Orlando (and perhaps into the forseeable future) ... His replacement in the starting lineup? The zombified remains of Brian Scalabrine (parquetwishesandleprechaundream.blogspot.com). Oh my.

FIRST QUARTER

Perkins (who stands to be the biggest loser in Kevin's absence as he was the recipient of many a pass from Number Five for the easy dunk) rebounds a missed shot and is fouled by Howard while scoring the layup; that earns him a trip to the line, where he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (3-0 10:48).

Dwight then misses the jumpshot, and Pierce collects the rebound; he brings the ball upcourt himself, then takes it right at Arroyo and scores on the layup (5-0 10:21).

At the other end, Lewis is fouled by Perk while making the strong move to the basket, so he steps up to the charity strip and makes both free throws for the first Orlando points of the game (5-2 10:11).

. Scals then misses the three-point attempt, and Howard pulls down the rebound; he gives the ball to Evans, who takes it up the floor, then passes back to the trailer Howard and he goes right down the lane for the easy layup (5-4 9:44).

Another basket by Pierce puts Boston back up by three, while Lewis throws up an outside shot that catches nothing but air (cue the Nelson Muntz "ha HA!" WAV file) ... The Celts regain possession, as Rajon takes it strong to the hoop but misses the layup attempt, and ends up fouling Arroyo going for the loose ball.

That gives the Magic another chance to get closer, as Lewis uses the pumpfake to fool Perk and he barrels right into him for the foul (his second).

Leon Powe Powe Power Wheels is quickly up off the bench to replace him, while Turkoglu is left wide open and buries the three-pointer (7-all 8:42).

Allen tries to answer, but his three-point shot is wide of the mark, and Howard pulls down the carom. He passes to Arroyo, who brings the ball upcourt, then finds Hedo who finsihes with the turnaround "jay" over Ray (7-9 8:01).

Glenn Rivers M.D. decides that his team needs a quick 20-second timeout, and when play resumes Pierce tries to make the bounce pass inside to Powe, but the ball goes right past him and sails out of bounds (d'oh!) ... That gives Orlando back possession, but they quickly give it right back, as Arroyo dribbles off his foot and Allen picks up the loose ball. He passes up ahead to Pierce, who tries to make his way around Turkoglu, but instead gives the ball back to Ray; he tries to drive to the basket with Arroyo in front of him, but Carlos falls backwards (he was halfway down before Allen even got near him) and the refs call the offensive foul!

Terrible call, as Orlando regains possession and Howard tries the hook shot over Powe ... Surprisingly, Rondo goes up high and goaltends the shot (7-11 7:10); I'd definitely call that a role reversal right there!

At the other end, Pierce misses the shot (Boston is now just 3-for-9 from the floor to start the game) but Powe grabs the offensive board and scores on the putback to get his club within a basket. Lewis then misses the outside jumper, however it's Howard who comes up with the offensive rebound (outjumping Scalabrine to the ball) and Leon ends up pushing him in the back; that puts Dwight at the line - always a shaky proposition - but he's able to make both foul shots (9-13 6:23).

Pierce then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Rashard, and Howard finds himself with another rebound (his sixth); he passes to Arroyo, who brings the ball up the floor and - failing to make his way past Rondo - he passes back inside to Dwight. Luckily, he runs right into Powe and just knocks him flat on his ass, and is called for the offensive foul!

Wow, I'm surprised they called that against him on his home floor, as now Stan Van Gundy Bloody Gundy needs a timeout ... When play resumes, Adonal Foyled Again comes into the game for Howard, but Powe just abuses him and scores with the layup (11-13 5:40).

Lewis answers with the pullup jumper over Scals, then Allen tries to shoot over Evans and winds up with another airball (!) ... However, Scals comes away with the offensive board, and gets the ball to Rondo, who slices down the lane and scores with the little teardrop (13-15 4:53).

Turkoglu then backrims the shot, and Powe secures the rebound. He passes up to Rondo, who finds Ray spotting up behind the three-point line; his shot misses (Allen's now 0-for-3 shooting, hmmm) and Hedo pulls down the 'bound ... We head back the other way, as Hedo passes inside to Evans, but he misses the easy basket and Powe comes up with another rebound.

He passes to Rondo, who shoots up the floor like a bullet ... Arroyo has trouble keeping up with him, so Rajon takes it right to the basket with just Turkoglu to beat; he fakes the shot to get Hedo up in the air, then hits the shot jumper to tie the score (15-all 4:03).

As Arroyo then tries to bring the ball up the floor, Pierce reaches in and strips him (nice) before taking it all the way in against Turkoglu for the layup (17-15 3:37); that's six points now for the captain.

Foyle then misses another shot, and Powe cleans up on the glass. He hands the ball off to Allen, who takes it upcourt, then puts his foot on the gas and goes right down the lane past Evans (like he was standing still) and finishes with the one-hand jam over Lewis (19-15 3:08)!

Turkoglu hits a jumper to break Orlando's scoring drought, then Rondo has his layup attempt blocked by Foyle ... Never fear, as Powe collects the loose ball and scores with the layup (21-17 2:27).

At the other end, Scals ties up Lewis and forces him to cough up the ball. Arroyo is able to pick it up, but he's being harassed by Rondo and that causes him to shuffle his feet for the travelling violation (yes!) ... Nice bit of defense there, as the Celts call for time. When play resumes, Posey O'Donnell comes into the game (he's gonna give it a go with that sprained index finger) replacing Scals, while Powe misses the shot but Pierce grabs the offensive rebound and lays it in (23-17 1:50).

So far so good without KG, I reckon (not that I want to get used to such a scenario) ... A basket by Foyle with 16.7 seconds left makes it a four-point game, as Boston has a chance to hold for the final shot. Pierce dribbles some time off the clock before making his move, as Arroyo is able to knock the ball away, but Paul recovers and tries for the fallaway jumpshot over Turkoglu at the buzzer; unfortunately, it's no good, and the Celtics' lead remains at four (23-19) at the end of one.

Again, this was a nice "Garnett-less" performance from the C's, as they shot 48 percent from the floor (11-23 FG), while limiting the Magic to just seven field goals (7-18 FG). They also outrebounded Orlando 13 to 8 (not bad when your starting power forward is Brian Scalabrine, ZING).

SECOND QUARTER

Reconstructive Tony Surgery hits the 18-foot jumper to open the quarter, while at the other end Lewis scores on the layup (25-21 11:22).

Tony then tries to score again, but his layup attempt rims out; fortunately, Powe is able to muscle his way in for the offensive board, and is fouled from behind by Lewis trying to score on the putback. That puts Leon at the line, and he makes one-of-two free throws (26-21 11:06).

A bucket from Lewis gets the Magic within three with nine minutes left in the half, then Hugh Laurie backrims the jumpshot and Keyon Dooling-Banjos collects the rebound; he tries to bring it up the floor, but Powe slaps the ball away and it finds itself right into Ray's hands, who takes it in for the easy dunk (30-25 8:44)! That's two dunks already for Mister Allen (it's a great way to improve his field-goal percentage, that's for sure) ...

Evans drains a jumper, then Ray tries to score with the floater in the lane, but Howard is up high for the monster rejection (wow); the ball goes out of bounds, meaning that Boston retains poss with ten seconds on the shot clock. House winds up having to heave up an off-balance shot to beat the buzzer, which is wide of the mark and Howard comes away with the rebound.

He passes to Turkoglu, who takes it coast to coast and all the way in for the layup attempt; that rims out, but Keith "Muggsy" Bogans collects the loose rebound and kicks it back out to Hedo. He dribbles around Perkins and (as if he's auditioning for a spot alongside Howard in the Slam Dunk Contest) goes up for the attempted one-hand slammer over Posey ... It's actually quite comical to watch, as he's about two feet short of the basket and knocks down James in the ensuing collision. However, what isn't funny is that the refs call Posey for the blocking foul (yeah right), putting Turkoglu at the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (30-28 7:38).

Posey (perhaps with a bruised ego) tries for the three-point shot right in Hedo's face, but that bounces off the back of the rim ... The ball actually comes back James' way, as he tries to grab the loose rebound, but Turkoglu ends up slapping him right across the face (ouch).

Somehow, the officials interpret this as another foul on Posey (double-u-tee-eff?), so his ego and his face are now bruised ... It's Posey's second foul (Scals comes back in to replace him), as the Magic regain possession; Turkoglu misses the three-point attempt, but Evans is able to tip in the basket to tie the score once again (30-all 6:58).

The home crowd is starting to come alive, as Perk misses the hook shot over Howard, and Dwight rips away the rebound; he passes to Evans, who makes his way upcourt, then gets the ball back to Howard at the top of the key. He takes it down the lane against Scalabrine, where he misses the shot, but Lewis grabs the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Dooling. He slices down the lane and goes right around Scals before finishing with the layup (30-32 6:11).

Rivers calls for a timeout, and when play resumes Pierce is able to score to tie the game with six minutes on the clock. However, Howard quickly answers with another layup over Perkins (32-34 5:36). Paul follows that up with the fallaway "jay" over Lewis (he now has 12 points on 6-for-9 shooting), then Bogans has his layup attempt blocked from behind by Tony (nice). Pierce grabs the loose ball and takes it back the other way, where he drives to the basket and scores yet again (36-34 4:41) ... Good good, we need him to heat up.

Lewis then misses the shot over Scals, and Perkins comes down with the rebound. He passes to Rondo, who takes it upcourt, then gives it up to Pierce (covered by Turkoglu). Perk steps in and sets the pick to give Paul a little wiggle room; he makes his move and pulls up for the shot (as Hedo gets back into the play) but instead draws contact for the foul call ... That puts Pierce at the line, and he makes both free throws to give the Celts a four-point lead (38-34 3:28); he's scored the last eight points for Boston (I'd certainly call that "heating up", wouldn't you?).

At the other end, Turkoglu misses the outside shot, but Howard goes up over Perk and slams in the miss (38-36 3:10) for his tenth points of the night (4-7 FG). Evans then proceeds to knock the ball away from Scalabrine (way to earn that starting role, Brian); Hedo picks it up and sends the pass up to a hustling Evans, who finishes with the two-handed dunk (38-all 2:43).

Not ready to give up the spotlight just yet, Pierce slices down the lane between Orlando's two big men (Lewis and Howard) as Evans reaches in for the steal ... It's all for naught, as the refs whistle him for the foul while Paul scores the layup (yeah!); that sends Pierce to the line, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (41-38 2:28). All hail the Truth!

Before you think he's all about hogging the ball, Pierce makes a nice bounce pass inside to Perk for the thunderous two-hand slam, giving the Celts a five-point lead with 1:21 left in the quarter ... However, at the other end, Dooling drives down the lane and pulls up over Tony for the jumper; not only that, but the refs whistle Allen for the foul as well, and Keyon is able to make the free throw (43-41 1:01).

Perk then misses the shot, and Howard collects the rebound (giving him the first-half double-double with ten points and ten boards); he passes upcourt to Dooling, and he in turn gets the ball to Bogans, who blows by Scals and takes it in for the layup (43-all :19.2).

Now, the Celts again have a chance to take the final shot, as Rondo dribbles around for a bit before driving to the basket against Dooling ... He takes the contact while scoring the basket (yes!), and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (46-43 :01.9).

Bogans misses the halfcourt shot at the buzzer, and the Celts enjoy the three-point advantage (46-43), thanks in large part to the efforts of one Paul Pierce (19 PTS, 8-11 FG, 6 REB). Let's hope he can keep it up!

THIRD QUARTER

At the start of the second half, Pierce tries to keep his hot streak going, but misses the layup attempt (dammit!); Rondo is able to rip the rebound right out of Evans' hands, though, and goes in for the reverse layup (48-43 11:41) ... Oh shit, wait a minute. Rondo is on the ground and he's not getting up (he's literally crawling along the floor in pain).

Ray gives the foul to stop the clock, as the Celtics' trainers come out to check on Rajon ... Replays seem to indicate that Rondo got tangled up with Evans on the way down and Maurice ended up stepping on his right ankle (oh no).

Boston takes a timeout, as Rondo has to be helped up off the floor, but he is able to walk back to the locker room under his own power (that's certainly a good sign) ... When play resumes, House is back on the court at the point-guard position, as word from the back is that it's just a slight ankle sprain and (once he gets the foot re-taped) Rondo should be able to return to the game. All I can say to that is "Whew!"

Meanwhile, back to the game ... Pierce winds up fouling Howard to prevent the easy basket, putting the big man at the line where he's able to make both free throws (48-45 10:55).

Allen then misses the jumpshot (he has just four points on 2-for-9 shooting) and Turkoglu grabs the rebound; he passes to Arroyo, who takes it up the floor, then dishes inside to Howard. He tries for the hook shot over Perkins, but winds up with the airball instead (ha HA!).

Kendrick comes away with the rebound, and gets the ball up the floor to Ray; he passes inside to Pierce, who tries the fallaway jumper over Hedo but comes up short (is he cooling down?). Arroyo grabs the rebound, as he heads back the other way, then passes to Turkoglu; he makes his way down the lane, where he tied up by Allen. That sends him to the line, and he makes both free throws to get his club within one (48-47 10:07).

Scals is fouled by Lewis with 9:59 on the clock, but can only make one-of-two at the line, giving Boston just a two-point lead ... At the other end, Arroyo misses the three-point attempt, but Howard grabs the offensive board and lays it in (49-all 9:30).

Things are not looking good, as Ray misses another jumpshot (sheesh) and Turkoglu comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then finds Evans open in the corner and he knocks down the trey (49-52 9:02)!

House tries to answer, but misses the shot and Hedo grabs another rebound (as Rondo is at the scorers' table ready to come back into the game, thank goodness) ... Meanwhile, Turkoglu gives the ball to Arroyo, who makes his way up the floor and just blows right by House and finishes with the one-handed layup (49-54 8:34).

Geez, the Celts need a timeout after that ... When play resumes, Rondo is back leading the troops (yay); however, it's Pierce who's trying to set up the offense, as he attempt to pass inside to Perkins and Brian "Kiss the" Cook comes away with the steal (shit). He gives it to Arroyo, who motors his way up the floor before passing back to the trailer Cook, and he pulls up for the three-point shot and buries it (49-57 8:08).

Rajon then makes the move around Arroyo and scores with the floater over the outstretched hand of Howard (okay, ankle seems fine) to break Orlando's scoring run. At the other end, Pierce and Rondo double team Arroyo, and Rajon comes up with the steal, as Arroyo reaches out and grabs him in frustration ... It's Celtics' ball, and Rondo again drives down the lane, where he runs right into Howard and tries to fake him up before going for the layup attempt.

Unfortunately, that doesn't work, as Dwight swats it away and Hedo comes up with the loose ball; he heads back the other way and finds Cook for another three-point attempt. That's wide of the mark, and Perk grabs the rebound; he gives it to Rondo, who heads back up the floor and passes to Ray for the short pullup jumper (53-57 6:53); that's six points now for Allen (3-11 FG).

However, at the other end he hits Evans across the arm and is whistled for the foul ... That's Ray's fourth, so the other Allen has to come back in to replace him. Meanwhile, Cook drives to the basket and misses the shot, but Howard tips the loose rebound back out to him and he finishes with the layup (53-59 6:16).

Pierce then tries the turnaround jumper over Turkoglu, but he frontrims the shot and Arroyo grabs the rebound. He quickly brings it up the floor, where he finds Cook once again behind the three-point line, and he buries it to the delight of the crowd (53-62 5:47).

Man, can't let htis game get out of hand now ... However, it's looking like that will be the case, as Rondo has his layup attempt swatted away by Howard (his fourth block). Luckily, Tony grabs the loose ball and passes to Pierce, who tries to drive to the basket against Turkoglu; he goes in for the shot, but Dwight is right there looming before him, causing Paul to alter his shot and misses quite badly as a result.

Dwight rebounds the miss and passes to Evans, who makes his way upcourt before getting the ball to Arroyo at the top of the key. He swings it around to Cook (once again spotting up behind the arc), and he knocks down another one (53-65 4:59)!

The crowd is going bananas right now, as Rondo misses the pullup jumper and Turkoglu grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then dribbles around Pierce on his way to the hoop; he's met by Perkins, who's whistled for the foul, and that sends Hedo to the line where he makes both free throws (53-67 4:28).

Rondo follows that up by missing the three-point shot (Boston is just 3-for-15 from the floor in the quarter) and Arroyo secures the loose board. He quickly maks his way up the floor, and gets the ball to Turkoglu; he tries to make the alleyoop pass to Howard, but Powe uses his body to keep Dwight away from the ball ... That's a foul, of course, so Howard steps to the line (as the crowd works up an "MVP!" chant) and makes both free throws (53-69 3:59); maybe Dwight should receive the MVP award, if he keeps making his free throws like this (16 PTS, 6-6 FT)!

Posey knocks down the trey to try and give Boston's offense a jumpstart (the Celts are now 1-for-11 from three-point land, yikes), while at the other end Arroyo drives down the lane and knocks down Powe for the offensive foul. That gives the C's back possession, but Pierce ends up doing a lot of dribbling while the shot clock is winding down ... He finally tries to put up the jumpshot, but Hedo is able to block it from behind as the buzzer sounds!

Oh man, the Celts are just falling apart right now, as Orlando regains possession with 2:59 remaining in the quarter ... Turkoglu takes it in between two defenders and banks in the shot as the refs whistle Powe for the foul; that puts Hedo at the line, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (56-72 2:40). The Magic are now shooting 62 percent from the floor (8-13 FG) in the quarter!

Posey answers with a trey (he has all of Boston's three-pointers, all two of them), then Turkoglu uses his forearm to try and clear some room against Pierce ... That's a no-no, as the refs charge him with the offensive foul; Boston regains possession, and Posey throws in the floater over Howard (61-72 1:57).

At the other end, Cook misses the outside shot, and Pierce grabs the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes to Rondo, who gives it right back to Pierce in the paint; he's hacked by Howard (his third foul), and steps to the line for two free throws (63-72 1:22).

Turkoglu drains a deep three-pointer to throw some cold water on Boston's little mini-run, while at the other end Rondo misses the layup (!); Powe grabs the offensive board, but can't score on the putback. Foyle comes away with the rebound and passes to Arroyo; he makes his way up the floor, then passes to Evans, who tries to drive to the basket against Posey but steps out of bounds for the turnover!

That gives the Celts back possession with 30.7 seconds left in the quarter, as Rondo drives down the lane (drawing in the defense) before dishing off to Powe for the strong two-hand slammer (65-75 :13.5)!

Cook is then called for the backcourt violation with 1.4 ticks left, so Boston will (once again) get the opportunity to take the final shot, and gets this deficit down to single digits (which would be pretty big considering how things have been going) ... Unfortunately, Rondo has his shot bounce off the back of the rim as the buzzer sounds, leaving the score 65 to 75 heading into the final stanza.

If the Celts hope to make a game out of this, they'll have to improve their offensive output (7-for-23 shooting in the third quarter), while preventing the Magic from shooting in the 60-percent range (9-for-15 shooting in the quarter) ... That'll be a tall order for this club without the services of Garnett, but it would also go a long way toward proving that the Celts have the depth necessary to succeed in the postseason.

FOURTH QUARTER

Posey knocks down the trey to open the quarter (cutting the deficit down to seven) ... However, at the other end, Dooling is left open and buries his own three-pointer to negate that effect (68-78 11:09).

After a Posey miss, Evans finds himself behind the three-point line being guarded by Tony Allen; he swings the ball up and ends up catching Tony right in the face with his elbow. No foul is called, though (please) and - with Allen on the floor writhing in pain - Maurice pulls up but misses the three-point shot (that's justice right there) ... That also gives Boston a chance to get closer, as Rondo is fouled by Bogans while making a strong move to the basket, putting him at the line for two free throws (70-78 9:51).

Turkoglu then misses from behind the arc (good, let the Magic get trey-happy as long as they keep missing!) and Posey grabs the rebound; he passes to Ray, who brings it up the floor, then Pierce sets a screen to get Bogans off his back. Turkoglu switches over to try and cover him, but he's too late as Allen pulls up and buries the three-pointer (73-78 9:22)!

Orlando calls for time to try and get some of their mojo back; when play resumes, Howard goes for the turnaround jumper over Powe, but Rondo reaches in and slaps the ball away! Leon picks it up and passes to Rondo, who makes his way upcourt before giving it back inside to Powe ... Unfortunately, it looks to be a wasted effort, as Howard comes right back and slaps the ball out of his hands while he goes for the shot (dawww).

Dwight grabs the loose ball and tries to get it upcourt to Bogans, but it's not a good pass and the ball goes out of bounds! That gives the Celts another opportunity to inch their way closer, as Pierce drives to the basket against Turkoglu and draws the foul while scoring the layup (yes!); he steps to the line and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (76-78 8:24).

You can feel the momentum shifting now, as Lewis tries to make his way to the hoop, but Powe steps in and Rashard just bowls over him for the offensive foul! Boston regains possession, as Leon sets the screen on Bogans to get Ray open, and he obliges by knocking down the three-pointer (79-78 7:58)! Oh yeah!

Bogans tries to answer with his own three-point basket, but is wide of the mark ... Unfortunately, Lewis comes away with the offensive board, and winds up being fouled from behind by Posey; that's his fourth, as Rashard steps to the line and makes both free throws (79-80 7:23).

Ray then misses the outside shot, and Powe fouls Howard going for the rebound. That gives the Magic back possession, and Hedo drives down the lane (knocking Pierce flat on his ass but no foul is called) before passing to Arroyo wide open behind the three-point line ... Thankfully, that shot misses, and Pierce comes away with the rebound.

He passes to Rondo, who makes his way up the floor, then passes back to Paul; he tries to pull up over Turkoglu, but misses the shot and Bogans takes down the rebound ... Now Orlando has another chance to rebuild their lead; Lewis tries for the three-point attempt and comes up short, but Dwight grabs the offensive board over Powe (that's his fifteenth rebound!) and kicks it out to Hedo, who pulls up from the free-throw line and buries it (79-82 6:13).

At the other end, Posey misses the finger roll, but the refs call the foul on Lewis; Orlando's over the limit, so James earns a trip to the line and makes both free throws to get the C's back within one (81-82 5:49).

Lewis answers with the baseline jumper over Posey (as the crowd starts another "De-fense!" chant), then Rondo tries to make the pass inside to Powe, but Bogans knocks it away and then dives out of bounds to save the ball to Arroyo (nice hustle play, I must admit). Carlos sends the outlet pass to Turkoglu, who airballs the three-point shot ... but now it's Howard's turn to dive out of bounds, as he sends the ball back to Hedo at halfcourt (he actually took the pass away from Bogans or else it would've been a backcourt violation).

That means that the Magic still have possession with 14 seconds left on the shot clock, as Turkoglu winds up being covered by Rondo ... Trying to take advantage of the mismatch, he pulls up for the jumper, but it's wide of the mark. Powe collects the rebound and gives it to Pierce, who brings it upcourt, then passes inside to Leon; he's hit by Howard (no call) but gets the loose ball and goes up again, where he's hit by Turkoglu (still no call) and Lewis comes away with the rebound.

Dammit, even Hubie Brown says that "he was hit about five times"; nonetheless, Orlando takes back possession as the clock is starting to become the Celtics' enemy ... Lewis gets the ball to Arroyo, who passes inside to Howard and Ray is forced to cover him (Powe was knocked to the floor during the previous play and was slow to get up); Dwight simply forces his way past the smaller man and finishes with the one-hand dunk (81-86 4:18).

Boston calls for time, and when play resumes Ray tries to throw up a quick three-point shot ... It winds up being an airball, and Howard lets the ball bounce harmlessly out of bounds (shit); Orlando has a chance to build their lead further, as Arroyo finds Lewis open behind the line and he buries the trey (81-89 3:34)!

That's gonna be tough to come back from ... Ray follows up his previous attempt to score by blowing the layup (!), but the loose rebound is tipped out to Rondo; he hands off to Posey (while sticking his butt out to keep Bogans at bay) and James pulls up for the three-pointer of his own (84-89 3:03)!

Arroyo then brings the ball slowly up the floor, while Turkoglu tries to get away from Pierce and winds up using his forearm right in Paul's face that - of course - the refs don't call a foul on (Hubie: "Wow, this had to be something, what's that?") ... With the Truth sufficiently dazed, Carlos gives the ball to Hedo and he pulls up and buries the deep jumper (84-91 2:39).

Posey then misses the three-point attempt, and Lewis comes away with the rebound; he passes to Turkoglu, who again tries to take some time off the clock ... then decides to just pull up for the three-point attempt with Pierce right in his face (wow, that sure is stupid). The shot misses and Rondo collects the loose board; he quickly brings it up the floor, and takes it right to the hoop for the layup attempt.

That rims out (aargh!) and Posey can't tip it in, as Howard pulls down the rebound; Rajon tries to reach in for the steal and is whistled for the foul, but after the play is already dead Howard decides to "shoo" him away by swinging his elbow out!

Now that is just ridiculous, as he was just inches away from Rondo's face and could have done some serious damage if he had made contact ... Howard should be thrown out of the damn game right now, but instead the officials just pretend like nothing happened and give Orlando back possession (bleh).

Arroyo tries to take advantage of the situation by driving down the lane, but he ends up dribbling the ball off his foot and out of bounds ... That gives us some hope, as Doc calls for time with 1:49 left on the clock; when play resumes, Pierce makes a nice pass inside to Perkins, where he's fouled by Arroyo and proceeds to make both free throws (86-91 1:43).

Arroyo tries to answer, but misses the pullup jumpshot, and Posey grabs the rebound. He passes to Ray, who takes it the length of the court and just blows by Bogans; he takes it right at Howard (risky) but the gamble pays off and he scores on the layup (88-91 1:13)! That's 14 points now for Allen (6-17 FG)!

Turkoglu is fouled by Perkins and makes both free throws with 58.9 seconds left, giving the Magic back their five-point lead ... At the other end, Rondo pulls off that great move of his (you know, that one where he fakes making the pass but then brings it back and scores on the scoop shot?); yeah, that's the one, as he throws off Howard and puts up the shot that rolls around the rim before finally dropping through the net (90-93 :43.9)!

The crowd sounds a little nervous now, as Arroyo tries to make the pass inside to Lewis, but Rajon just reaches out and snatches the ball away (his sixth steal!); he motors his way up the floor, then passes the ball to Pierce. He drives to the basket against Turkoglu, but instead kicks it out to Ray in the corner ... Bogans is too late getting to him, as Allen gets the shot off and buries the three-pointer (93-all :14.1)!

Oh man, Orlando needs a timeout now, and when play resumes Hedo inbounds the ball to Arroyo. He gives it back to Turkoglu, who's guarded by Pierce; he dribbles around before finally taking the fallaway three-point shot at the buzzer ... and damned if it doesn't go in (93-96).

That was a horrible horrible shot ... but it went in. What more can you say?

Recap: Game 32 (at Detroit)

Alessandro — Sun, 06 Jan 2008 15:34:10 -0000

RECAP: BOSTON CELTICS AT DETROIT PISTONS

Out of the Celtics' three losses (and isn't it great that we're into January and you can still count the number of losses on just one hand?), you have to believe that the one against Detroit still stings the players the most ... It was an opportunity for them to disprove their detractors against a quality Eastern Conference opponent, but some costly mental lapses - one in particular that Allan Tony won't soon forget - denied them a victory.

This would be their chance to make amends, and erase the sting - if only temporarily - of that defeat ...

January 5, 2008
7:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
The Palace of Auburn Hills (Detroit, MI)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn ; Gary and Donny "We Are" Marshall (in-studio) ; Greg "Old Saint" Dickerson (sideline reporter)
Celtics Starting Lineup: Rayden, I've Got a Rajon Rondo, Perk'd Off, Kevvy G, Da Troof
Pistons Starting Lineup: Richard "Green Eggs and" Hamilton, Lepre-Chauncey Billups, Diaper-Rasheed Wallace, Antonio "Loaded" McDyess, Tayshaun "Of the Dead" Prince

FIRST QUARTER

Perkins wins the opening tap against Rasheed, as the ball goes out to Rondo; he gets the ball to Garnett, who passes inside to Allen. His shot is partially blocked by Hamilton, but Ray is able to recover the loose ball and kicks it back out to KG. In one motion, Kevin passes to Perk under the basket, and he finishes with the loud two-hand slam (2-0 11:42) ... not a bad way to start the game.

However, Billups answers with the deep three-pointer right over the outstretched hand of Rondo (hmm, that might not help Rajon's confidence after hearing everyone say that Chauncey got the better of him in Boston) ... At the other end, Pierce winds up being double-teamed in the paint, so he gives the ball to Kendrick and he hits the hook shot over McDyess (4-3 10:48).

Billups then misses the shot, and Perk gets the rebound; he passes to Allen, who dribbles up the floor, then gives it back to Perk who scores once again over McDyess (6-3 10:23); Heinsohn: "After the first minute of this game, he's liable to make the All-Star team!"

The Pistons are starting this game flat, as Sheed misses the outside shot, and Ray collects the loose rebound. He takes it back the other way, then passes to Pierce in the paint; he gives the pumpfake to get McDyess in the air, and absorbs the contact while attempting the shot ... That's Antonio's second foul already (Jason "Smooth Like a" Maxiell comes in to replace him), as Paul heads to the line and makes both free throws (8-3 9:44).

At the other end, Hamilton makes a nice pass inside to Maxiell, who's slapped across the hands by Garnett while taking the shot; that puts him at the line with 9:32 remaining, but he proceeds to miss both foul shots (cue the Nelson Muntz "ha HA!" WAV file).

KG grabs the rebound, as the C's have a chance to extend their lead; however, Kevin misses the outside shot and Maxiell comes away with the rebound. He quickly gets the ball upcourt to Hamilton, who pulls up over Allen but backrims the shot (the Pistons are now just 1-for-4 from the field) and Pierce corrals the rebound.

We head back the other way, as Paul makes the outlet pass to Ray with Hamilton covering him. Wallace and Billups both come over to try and stop him, but that just leaves Rajon wide open for the 15-footer (10-3 9:00)!

The one-handed dunk by Maxiell gets Detroit within five (and wakes the crowd up a little bit), then Garnett tries to drive down the lane but runs right into the chest of Maxiell and is called for the offensive foul; that is now Kevin's second foul (oopsie), so he heads to the bench with 7:34 on the clock, while Parker Posey is subbed in.

Meanwhile, Detroit regains possession, as Billups tries to work the baseline against Rajon and is able to draw the foul (he also draws blood above Rondo's left eye, but no one seems to notice as he stays in the game). It's a non-shooting foul, so Prince inbounds the ball to Maxiell, who quickly gives it back to Tayshaun, and he passes to Hamilton at the top of the key; Allen is a little late getting to him, so Perk is forced to come over and cover Rip, but that just gives him an open target underneath the basket in Maxiell who finishes with the strong two-hand slam (10-7 7:19).

The crowd again tries to make some noise, and they get even louder as Allen is called for the offensive foul as he pushed off Hamilton while trying to make a move to the basket. That gives Detroit back possession, as the Celtics' trainer is finally out to bandage up Rajon's eye and stop the blood flow ... He stays in the game, but what cannot be stopped is this newfound momentum for the Pistons, as Prince buries the jumpshot to get his team within one (10-9 5:48).

Glenn Rivers M.D. calls for time, and when play resumes Pierce pulls up from the free-throw line and misses the shot over Prince, but Perkins is able to grab the offensive board (his fourth rebound already). He finds Rondo under the basket, who goes up for the layup attempt but it rims out (!) and Sheed is able to control the carom.

He gets he ball up ahead to Billups, who ends up with Ray Allen covering him off the switch ... Sensing a mismatch, Chauncey gets the ball to Hamilton (defended by Rajon) and he scores easily off the turnaround "jay" (10-11 5:06).

This isn't looking so good, as Rondo goes in for another layup attempt but misses again (oy) and the loose rebound is tipped out to Hamilton. He pushes it up the floor to start the Pistons fast break, and sends the alleyoop pass over to Prince for the acrobatic two-hand slam (10-13 4:36); geez, that really gets the crowd on its feet ...

Rajon doesn't help matters, as he backrims the 15-foot jumpshot (hope he's not getting too rattled by this hostile atmosphere) and Wallace pulls down the rebound. Heinsohn laments that "the offense has gone stagnant since the big guy [i.e. Garnett] went to the bench", but further damage is avoided as the Celts play some solid defense and force Hamilton to hoist up an airball as the shot clock expires.

That's a 24-second violation, so Boston regains possession while Tony comes into the game to take over for Rondo at the point-guard position ... However, he can't solve the Celts' sudden offensive woes, as Posey comes up short on the outside shot (that's nine straight misses for Boston!) and Prince comes away with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to Rasheed, who backs down Perk before turning around and knocking down the little floater in the lane (10-15 2:59).

Yup, the Celts are definitely having their problems, as Pierce misses the fallawya jumpshot and Prince secures the rebound. He gives it to Billups, who slowly brings the ball up the floor before passing back inside to Wallace; he now has Posey on him, so he backs him down and scores again with the very same play as before (10-17 2:14)!

At the other end, it's Perkins' turn to miss, as he throws up a brick over Maxiell (man, these guys are ice-cold) and Sheed hauls down another rebound. The Pistons have a chance to build their lead further, and that's just what they do as Wallace takes the pass from Tayshaun behind the three-point line and he buries it (10-20 1:28); ugh.

Now Hugh Laurie comes into the game (replacing Ray) to try and give the C's some scoring punch ... Tony front-rims the jumper (that's twelve straight misses now!) but the loose rebound is tipped out to House, and he quickly gets the ball back to Allen who pulls up over Maxiell and - finally - buries the shot (12-20 1:01).

However, Maxiell answers with a jumper of his own, then Allen misses (oh well, so much for building some momentum) and Prince grabs the rebound. He gives it to Billups, as there's just about 24 seconds left in the quarter, so Detroit can hold for the final shot ... Chauncey dribbles around a bit before finally driving to the basket against Tony, but House reaches in and knocks the ball out of bounds with 2.5 seconds on the clock.

Maxiell inbounds to Prince, and he shoots up an airball as the buzzer goes off ... No, scratch that, the officials actually put 1.1 seconds back on the clock (not sure where that number came from). Of course, in the end it doesn't matter, as Perkins forces up a shot from halfcourt that doesn't even come close to the rim, so the deficit remains at ten (12-22) at the end of one.

And what an ugly first quarter it was, as the Celts shot just 26 percent from the floor (5-19 FG) while the Pistons were up around 56 percent (10-18 FG) ... If that continues, then we are going to be in for a loooong night.

SECOND QUARTER

Rivers leaves Garnett on the bench to start the second quarter, but tries to counter his absence with a double serving of beef, as Glen "Macrosomia" Davis and Scotty 2 Hotty are on the floor (alongside Pierce, House, and Tony Allen) ... Fat lotta good that does us, since Maxiell takes it strong to the basket on the very first play and draws the foul on Pollard. That earns him a trip to the line, where he makes both free throws (12-24 11:48).

House answers by hitting the pullup jumper over Prince (which is difficult for a little guy like Eddie because of Tayshaun's freakish wingspan), then Rodney "I Heart" Stuckey-bee goes in for the layup and comes up short; he gets his own rebound, but his putback attempt is blocked from Pollard (there you go, use that beef!).

Tony grabs the loose ball and pushes it up the floor, but Maxiell slaps it away from behind (aw nuts) for the turnover ... Now Stuckey has the ball again, and he passes inside to Arron Aff-LOL-o, but Tony is able to reject his layup attempt and the ball goes off Arron's knee and out of bounds!

The Celts are certainly getting plenty of opportunities to put a dent in this deficit ... They make this latest one count, as Pierce drives to the basket and is hacked by Stuckey while scoring the basket; he adds the free throw to complete the three-point play and get Detroit's lead into single digits (17-24 10:45).

Maxiell answers with the turnaround jumper over Pollard (he now has ten points on 4-for-4 shooting), then House misses the outside shot and McDyess (back into the game) hauls down the rebound; he gets the ball upcourt to Prince, who passes to Maxiell and he pulls up over "Big Baby" and buries it (17-28 10:00).

This is not good, as Pierce is charged with an offensive foul for setting the screen on Stuckey ... That gives Detroit back possession with 9:46 on the clock, as Garnett makes his return to the game to replace Pollard.

Meanwhile, McDyess tries to get the ball to Afflalo, but Tony steps in for the steal and takes it coast to coast for the layup (19-28 9:29); Heinsohn: "That's why Tony's in there, for aggressive defense!"

Afflalo then misses the 15-footer, and Pierce pulls down the rebound; he takes it upcourt himself, and ends up drawing the foul on Jarvis "Purple" Hayes ... That puts Paul back at the line, and he makes both free throws (21-28 8:50).

Stuckey answers with the deep jumper over House, then Pierce slices down the lane and comes up short on the layup attempt, but Davis secures the offensive board over McDyess and scores on the putback (23-30 8:07).

A basket by House cuts the deficit to five with 7:35 to go in the quarter; Hamilton then tries to give the pumpfake with Tony Allen covering him, but Tony doesn't fall for it (he's gotten wise to their tricks) and Rip ends up hoisting an awkward shot that misses badly.

Pierce grabs the rebound and makes a fullcourt pass to Garnett hustling up the floor; he goes in for the dunk but Maxiell delivers the hard foul from behind ... KG has a few words for Jason after the fact, and - wiley veteran that he is - is able to goad him into firing back. Sure enough, the refs catch Maxiell flapping his gums and trying to get into Kevin's face, so they whistle him for the technical (heh).

That puts Garnett at the line with 7:07 remaining, as he makes the free throw for the tech. He then gets two more opportunities from the original foul call ... but misses both of them (dammit!).

Pistons catch a break there, but can't capitalize as Hamilton misses the jumper and Tony comes away with the rebound. He takes it up the floor and passes inside to KG, who tries to make a move around McDyess but loses the handle on the ball. Luckily, House is able to pick it up, but a lot a time has passed and he has to force up a three-point attempt to beat the shot clock.

He front-rims it, as Hayes grabs the rebound and we head back the other way ... He passes to Billups, who finds Hamilton in the corner. He's covered by Ray, but just blows right past him and takes it in for the layup (26-32 6:06).

KG then draws the foul on McDyess (a call which the crowd does not like); that's his third, so Rasheed comes back into the game to replace him while Kevin makes both of his free throws to get his team back within four (28-32 5:50).

It looks like the Celts are preparing to make a run, as Hayes misses the three-point attempt, but the loose rebound bounces right back out to him and the Pistons get a fresh 24 seconds (dammit!); Jarvis swings the ball around to Hamilton, who passes inside to Wallace with Davis guarding him. He tries to back him down and goes for the hook shot, but "Big Baby" gets a piece of it and House recovers the loose ball!

The C's have a chance to inch their way closer, as Eddie passes inside to Garnett, but he has his shot attempt rejected from behind by Maxiell (!); fortunately, the ball finds its way right to Ray Allen standing behind the three-point line, and he buries the shot (31-32 5:16)!

Hayes and Davis trade baskets, then Billups is fouled by "Big Baby" taking it to the basket with 3:54 left in the half ... At this point, Doc decides that some massive substitutions are in order, as he gets three of his starters - Perkins, Pierce, and Rondo - back on the floor (in place of Davis, Tony Allen, and House).

Meanwhile, Chauncey steps to the line and makes both free throws to put Detroit back up by three points. At the other end, Ray makes the slick over-the-shoulder pass inside to Perkins who is covered by "Pasta Primo-Vera" Brezec (just into the game), but Kendrick takes a couple of extra steps trying to work his way around Detroit's big man, and is called for travelling.

The Pistons regain possession, but Hayes misses the fallaway jumper over Perkins, and Pierce is able to grab the rebound away from the bigger Brezec; he proceeds to make the outlet pass to Ray Allen for the three-point shot, but it's wide of the mark.

However, Rondo dives to the floor for the loose rebound, and his hustle pays off as Billups is called for the foul trying to get the ball away from him ... Detroit is now over the limit, so Rajon steps to the line with 3:12 remaining; he makes the first free throw, but misses the second.

Now, it appears that KG is able to grab the offensive rebound ... however, Brezec hits the deck and the refs fall for it, calling Kevin for the foul!

Aw man, that's three fouls now on Garnett, so "Big Baby" has to come back in at the 3:10 mark to replace him (as a disturbing silence has fallen over Tommy Heinsohn) ... Meanwhile, the Pistons have the ball, as Billups is double-teamed in the paint so he finds Prince wide open for the three-pointer (34-39 2:20)!

Davis then has his layup attempt rejected by Wallace, but Rondo recovers the loose ball and gets it to Pierce, who finds Ray in the corner and he buries a trey of his own as the shot clock expires (37-39 1:51); sweet.

Billups tries to answer with a tough shot in the lane, but misses badly and "Big Baby" comes away with the rebound. He gives the ball to Rondo, who takes it back the other way before passing back to a hustling Davis who drives to the basket ... but Rasheed is there once again with another block!

Luckily, Perk winds up with the loose ball and tries to score on the layup, but he still finds a way to miss that shot (yikes) ... He gets his own rebound, however, and tries once again and this time is able to draw the foul on Brezec. That puts him at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (38-39 1:06).

Rasheed scores over Davis to put his team back up three, but Pierce quickly erases that from existence by pulling up over Billups and knocking down the trey (41-all :38.8)!

Wallace tries to answer and clanks the three-point attempt, but Hamilton is able to grab the offensive board. Ray Allen actually knocks the ball out of his hands before he can score on the putback, but Rip is able to recover and does indeed score to put Detroit back ahead (41-43 :28.5).

Doc calls for a 20-second timeout, and when play resumes Posey tries for the long-ball but can't find the bottom of the net ... Rasheed gets the rebound, but then just kind of stands there holding the ball with three seconds still on the clock. That was kinda dumb, as - by the time he passes to Billups - they can't get a shot off, leaving the score 41 to 43 at halftime.

While the Celts shot fairly better in the second quarter (9-21 FG), all you really need to know about that first half can be summed up with the following: Kevin Garnett played just 11 minutes (and scored three points), yet the Celts are still only down two. Go figure, huh?

THIRD QUARTER

Doc has his full complement of starters on the floor to start the second half (and I'm sure the Pistons will be attacking Garnett at every opportunity to draw that fourth foul) ... Meanwhile, Pierce misses the three-point attempt, but Rondo (to save the loose rebound from going out of bounds) jumps in and throws the ball off Rasheed's knee. Aw, if only he had aimed a little higher ;)

Anwyay, that gives Boston back possession, and Perkins makes the nice pass inside to Pierce who draws the foul on Prince. That puts Paul at the line, and he makes both free throws to tie the game (43-all 11:12).

At the other end, Sheed is called for the offensive foul trying to set the pick on Rondo (a call which - surprise! - Wallace does not agree with) ... That gives Boston back possession with a chance to take the lead, but Pierce bricks the three-point attempt and Hamilton pulls down the rebound. He takes it back the other way, then finds the the trailer Billups who is able to knock down the trey (43-46 10:43).

However, on his way back up the floor, Chauncey is whistled for a technical foul (he was gesturing to the officials about something or other, which is never a wise move). Allen makes the free throw as it's still Celtics' ball, but KG misses the outside jumpshot (he's just 0-for-3 from the floor tonight) and McDyess clears away the rebound.

He gets the ball to Billups, who dribbles upcourt, then passes to Hamilton. He's covered nicely by Ray, so he gets the ball to Prince, and he swings it around to Rasheed about two feet behind the three-point line ... but he decides to shoot it anyway and - of course - hits nothing but net (44-49 10:05); Detroit is now 5-of-10 from behind the arc!

At the other end, KG uses the pumpfake to try and draw the foul on Rasheed; he gets hit, but the whistles remain, so he winds up taking an off-balance shot that misses badly. However, Ray is in perfect position for the offensive board and scores on the layup (46-49 9:38).

Billups is then able to elude Rondo (thanks to a pick from McDyess) and pulls up for the jumper ... Rajon is able to get back on him, but only manages to foul him from behind, sending Chauncey to the line where he makes both free throws (46-52 9:21); sigh.

Rondo tries to give his adversary a taste of his own medicine, as he uses his quickness to draw the foul on Billups. Now it's his turn to take a spot at the charity stripe, but he ends up missing both free throws (d'oh!) ... The Celtics have now missed six free throws (13-19 FT), almost as many as the Pistons have attempted (5-7 FT)!

It's still a six-point deficit with 8:29 remaining, when Ray Allen is whistled for the foul (his third) trying to guard McDyess. It's a non-shooting foul, so Prince inbounds to Billups, who tries for the three-pointer with Rondo in his face, but Rajon is able to get a piece of that shot!

Perk collects the loose ball and gets it up ahead to Rondo, where he passes inside to Ray; Allen tries to make a move around Hamilton to get to the basket, but the refs can't have that as they call him for the offensive foul! Aw man, what a bogus call, especially since it now gives Ray a total of four fouls.

Posey comes back in at the 8:10 mark to replace him, while Pistons have a chance to extend their lead ... However, Prince misses the outside shot, and Pierce grabs the rebound. He immediately sends the pass up to Garnett (who has a step on Rasheed) and he finishes with the layup (48-52 7:51).

Nice assist by Pierce ... but not as nice as the no-look dish he sends to Posey behind the three-point line, where he buries the shot to get the C's within one (51-52 7:12)! Rasheed then misses the three-point attempt of his own, and Posey hauls down the rebound; he passes to Rondo, who takes it up the floor, then finds KG in the paint covered by Wallace. Undeterred, Kevin pulls up and buries the shot to give Boston the lead (53-52 6:10)!

Now Detroit is forced to call a timeout, but when play resumes Sheed answers with the basket to put the Pistons back ahead; at the other end, Pierce is stripped by Billups, and Hamilton collects the loose ball. He takes it back the other way, and gives it back to Chauncey behind the three-point line where he knocks it down (53-57 4:56); ouch.

The crowd has become re-energized, as Detroit plays some tough defense and KG is forced to take an awkward jumper to beat the shot clock ... That barely hits the rim, as Wallace gets the rebound and gives it to Billups. He winds up getting tripped up by Posey (his third foul), so Prince inbounds to Billups and he gives it back to Tayshaun for the outside shot; that's wide of the mark, and Garnett comes away with the rebound.

Now we head back the other way, as Posey makes a strong move to the basket, but knocks down McDyess and a LATE whistle signals his fourth foul of the night ... Tony comes back into the game to replace him, while Detroit regains possession and McDyess tries for the pullup jumper over Perkins. That comes up short, and Rondo secures the rebound (his fourth); he takes it up the floor, then gets the ball into Tony's hands. He passes to KG, who works the baseline around Rasheed and then goes up and under for the layup (55-57 3:19).

Billups gives the Celts a chance to get even closer, as he steps out of bounds trying to make a move around Allen ... That gives Boston back possession, and KG scores on the fallaway jumper over McDyess (57-all 2:36).

! Hayes and Tony trade baskets, then Hamilton gets tripped up by Tony, so it's back to the line where he makes both free throws (59-61 1:26).

Two foul shots from Garnett with 1:10 remaining in the quarter (after McDyess picked up his fourth foul trying to guard him) ties the score yet again. The Celts then attempt to clamp down on defense, but Perkins winds up taking an elbow to the midsection trying to keep up with Billups ... Somehow, the referees interpret this as a blocking foul on Kendrick (whu?!?), which sends Doc Rivers over the edge.

His arguments earn him nothing but a technical foul (I don't blame ya Doc!), so Chauncey steps to the line and makes one free throw, then readies himself for two more - as Boston is now over the limit - and sinks both of those as well (61-64 :50.8).

Gadzooks, that kind of bad officiating will leave a bad taste in your mouth ... Pierce and McDyess trade baskets in the closing moments, as the Celts are down just three (63-66) heading into the final quarter.

FOURTH QUARTER

Davis, Pollard, House, Pierce, and Tony Allen start the fourth ... However, it's Perkins sitting on the bench who gets things started, as right off the bat the refs whistle him for a technical call (he's still arguing about the shenanigans that went on at the end of the third).

Hamilton makes the free throw to extend Detroit's lead to four, but it's still Celtics possession, and Allen makes the nice pass inside to "Big Baby" for the layup (65-67 11:36).

Maxiell then misses the turnaround jumpshot over Davis, and Pollard grabs the rebound; he passes to House, who dribbles up the floor, then gives the ball up to Allen. He explodes to the basket and throws up a crazy-looking layup that barely finds the rim ... but Pollard appears out of nowhere and is able to tip it in (67-all 10:54)!

A basket by Stuckey breaks the tie, then he gets the steal on House and sends a fullcourt pass up to Hayes, who finds Hamilton wide open behind the three-point line; his shot misses, but Maxiell grabs the rebound and is fouled by Eddie trying to score on the putback. He makes one-of-two from the line to get the Pistons back up by three (67-70 9:15).

It's still a three-point game when KG returns to the floor at the 9:05 mark (to a chorus of boos) in place of Pollard ... Meanwhile, Pierce drives to the basket and is surrounded by three defenders, so he makes the excellent wrap-around pass inside to Davis, who is hacked by Maxiell. That sends "Big Baby" to the line, where he makes both foul shots (69-70 8:57).

Two free throws by Stuckey puts the deficit back at three, then Ray is double-teamed and almost throws the ball away, but Pierce is able to recover (although the Detroit crowd would have you believe that he committed a halfcourt violation). He takes it down the lane and pulls up over Prince for the basket, plus he draws the foul, and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (72-all 7:37)!

The fans are livid now (tough), while Rasheed misses the fallaway jumper over Davis and Pierce comes down with the rebound. He takes it upcourt himself, then passes inside to "Big Baby", who goes up with the shot - with Wallace all over him - but still manages to score the basket (74-72 7:14)!

Sheed answers with the outside shot (his foot was on the three-point line), then House makes the sweet dish inside to Garnett ... Wallace comes in from behind to try and block the shot, but gets a piece of his arm as well, so the refs whistle him for the foul (which Wallace still can't believe). That puts KG at the line for two free throws to give Boston back the lead (76-74 6:41).

Prince then misses the three-point attempt, but Billups grabs the offensive rebound and heads back out to reset the offense ... However, he (seemingly) changes his mind and decides the it would be better to jack up a quick three-ball instead. That proves to be unwise, as it misses the mark and Pierce comes away with the rebound.

He takes it back the other way, and finds Garnett underneath the basket, where he makes the touch pass to "Big Baby" for the layup; not only that, but he's also fouled by Prince, and makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (79-74 5:54)! Davis is heating up now, with 13 points (5-7 FG).

At the other end, Ray picks up his fifth foul trying to guard Billups (even though Chauncey once again threw an elbow into his defender, but I guess that doesn't count as a foul here in good ol' Detroit) ... Boston is not yet over the limit, so Prince inbounds to Billups, and he finds Hamilton for the pullup "jay" over House (79-76 5:37).

Pierce then drives on Pierce along the baseline, but runs right into Maxiell and the refs call him for the offensive foul (damnation!). Detroit regains possession, as Hamilton tries to make the crosscourt pass to Billups, but Paul sees it coming a mile away ... He picks it off, then goes all the way in for the one-handed dunk (81-76 4:57).

Rasheed tries to answer and misses the shot, but Maxiell pulls down the offensive rebound and kicks it out to Billups; he tries to pass inside to Hamilton (who's covered by House), and Rip just swings his elbow out to shuck off Eddie for the obvious offensive foul ... obvious to anyone who's not a part of tonight's officiating crew, that is, as they call House for the foul!

Unbelievable, as Hamilton steps to the line and misses the first free throw (Heinsohn: "That's justice!") but makes the second (81-77 4:28).

KG then tries to make a move around Wallace, but he shuffles his feet and is called for travelling (Boston's eighth turnover). Detroit regains possession, and Billups drives down the lane against Ray (who's gotta be careful) but the refs blow the late whistle as Pierce was reaching in for the steal.

That puts Chauncey at the line with 3:57 remaining in the game (Gorman: "Arguably the best free-throw shooter in the league ... "), where he rims out the first free throw (Heinsohn: "Ah, you got your graduate degree from Salem University! Witchcraft 101!") and then backrims the second (Gorman: "I want a Tommy Point for that!")

Rondo (back into the game for House) comes away with the loose rebound, as the Celts have a chance to put the pressure on the Pistons a bit here in the closing moments ... Pierce misses the fallaway jumper over Prince, however, and Billups controls the rebound. He motors up the floor, then passes to Rasheed (who's being double-teamed by Davis and Ray Allen) but takes the shot anyway (dumbass).

That misses, but Prince tips the loose rebound out to Hamilton who's wide open from 18 feet away; luckily, his shot rims out, and KG grabs the carom. He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Ray along the baseline. He can't get anywhere, so he gives the ball to Garnett, and he tries the short jumper that winds up being an airball (!).

The Pistons get another opportunity, as Prince spins around Rondo to get into the paint. That sends three Celtics over to try and prevent the layup, so Tayshaun has his choice of perimeter players to pick from (Wallace, Billups, and Hamilton are now all open behind the three-point line) ... He goes with Rip, and that turns out to be a good call as he nails the trey (81-80 2:38).

After a Boston timeout, Tony Allen comes into the game to replace Rondo ... Billups is all over Tony trying to force a turnover, but he's able to make the pass to Garnett, and he gets the ball to Pierce at the top of the key. He then lobs a pass inside to "Big Baby", who goes up over Rasheed for the layup PLUS the foul! Now that's what I'm talking about; throw in the free throw and it's a four-point Celtics advantage (84-80 2:18).

The crowd seems stunned right now, as Billups misses the shot and Hamilton fouls Tony going for the rebound; Detroit is now over the limit, so Allen heads to the line and proceeds to make both foul shots (86-80 2:07).

However, we can't chalk this up as another victory just yet, as McDyess buries the 18-footer, then Tony tries to drive against Billups but loses control of the ball (eek). Prince picks it up and heads back the other way, as he finds Hamilton along the baseline and he scores the runner over Ray (86-84 1:25).

Just like that, the crowd has caught their second wind ... Doc calls for time, and when play resumes Pierce inbounds to Tony. He's being smothered by Billups, and is able to knock the ball out of his hands and out of bounds with 17 seconds left on the shot clock.

During the stoppage of play, Rondo comes back in for Tony, while Pierce drives to the basket and misses the tough shot ... but never fear, as Davis goes up strong between two Pistons players for the offensive rebound! He kicks it back out to Pierce, who dribbles out to eat some more time off the clock.

With a minute left in the game, Garnett comes out and sets the screen on Prince, leaving Paul with an opening to the basket; the rest of the defense steps up to try and stop his forward momentum, so he passes inside to "Big Baby" who's hacked by McDyess while scoring the layup!

Davis lands hard on the floor, and winds up clutching his right knee (uh oh) ... Thankfully, he appears to be okay, and steps to the line with 56.9 seconds on the clock and a chance for the three-point play.

However, he misses the free throw (ooooh), and Rasheed comes away with the rebound ... The Pistons still have time to make something happen (a four-point deficit is not insurmountable with this much time left), as Billups blows past Ray Allen and runs right into Davis.

"Big Baby" hits the deck, but his attempts to draw the charge call go unrewarded, as the refs whistle him for the foul (Heinsohn: "That's an out-and-out charge, but they're not gonna call it here with this crowd!"). That puts Chauncey at the line with 47.5 seconds left; he makes the first free throw, and misses the second (yes!), but gets his own rebound (no!).

Now the Pistons have a fresh 24 seconds ... but Billups doesn't even take half that amount of time before he chucks a three-pointer from about two feet behind the line (with Pierce right in his face even). All of those factors combine for a complete airball (wasn't even close) that KG lets bounce harmlessly out of bounds with 32.1 seconds remaining.

Garnett inbounds to Pierce (Detroit doesn't have to foul yet), and Paul slowly brings it up the floor with Hamilton on him like glue ... Rasheed eventually comes over for the double-team, as Pierce takes it to the basket, but - seeing McDyess focusing on him rather than on his man - he slides a pass inside to "Big Baby" and he finishes with the layup (90-85 :08.5)! Oh man, I cannot BELIEVE that the mighty defensive-minded Detroit Pistons fell for that play again!

The air has been completely let out of this building, as the Pistons call for time (a mere formality now) while the Celtics bench welcomes Glen Davis like a conquering hero ... As "Big Baby" takes a seat, the camera catches Garnett coming over and cupping his hands around his groin region (I'm guessing that's a pantomime to tell Glen that he has balls the size of grapefruits to be playing with that much confidence as a mere rookie).

And why not? After all, that gives Davis 16 points (on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting) in the fourth quarter; how many rookies do you think can do that?

Anyway, enough frivolity, we have a game to finish ... Detroit needs to score a quick basket if they want any hope of trying to come away with the victory, so Prince goes for the three-point attempt, but it's short of the mark and McDyess fouls Tony Allen going for the rebound (whee!).

He makes both of his free throws with 2.7 seconds left, and the Pistons don't even bother to try and get a shot off, as they head to the locker room with tails tucked firmly between their legs while the Celts celebrate a well-deserved 92-to-85 victory.

FINAL SCORE: Boston 92, Detroit 85

GAME RATING: 17 (Killer)

TONIGHT'S C.O.G. (CELT OF THE GAME): Glen Davis

BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:

Davis: 23 MIN, 20 PTS (8-10 FG, 4-5 FT), 4 REB (3 OFF)
Pierce: 46 MIN, 19 PTS (5-16 FG, 1-6 3PTers, 8-8 FT), 9 REB, 7 AST
Garnett: 32 MIN, 15 PTS (4-11 FG), 5 REB

DETROIT TOP PERFORMERS:

Hamilton: 39 MIN, 18 PTS (6-16 FG), 8 AST
Billups: 40 MIN, 17 PTS (4-12 FG), 6 AST, 4 REB
Wallace: 36 MIN, 16 PTS (7-16 FG), 8 REB, 4 BLK

TOMMY QUOTES

"Regardless of what happens in this game, the Celtics have proved to the Pistons here in Detroit ... that they're a terrific basketball team and are capable of winning. Now, the Pistons I don't think are gonna get much better. I think the Celtics are gonna get a LOT better before the season is out!"

POSTGAME NOTES

The Celtics held Detroit to just 39 percent shooting from the floor (31-79 FG).
Boston's bench came through with a whopping 39 points tonight (you'll remember that they managed only five points - all by House - in their last meeting against Detroit).
The Celtics have now won nine straight road games (their longest streak since 1982!).
No surprise that Glen Davis was tonight's Tommy Award winner.

Recap: Game 28 (at Utah)

Alessandro — Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:08:55 -0000

BOSTON CELTICS AT UTAH JAZZ

December 29, 2007
9:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
EnergySolutions Arena (Salt Lake City, UT)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Donny "We Are" Marshall ; Dr. Laura BehnkeTommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn (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

Jazz Starting Lineup: Ronnie "Milwaukee" Brewer, Duran-Deron Williams, Mehmet Did It Ever Okur To You, Carlos Boozer Brody, I Would Walk Ten Thousand CJ Miles

We've been down this road with the Patriots over and over again ... Suffice it to say, if you could tear yourself away from tonight's matchup against the New York Giants (and the quest for a perfect regular season), there's a little ol' basketball game going on in the city with the salty lake that you might be interested in.

Furthermore, while it's not as sexy as "16-and-oh", the C's are attempting to surpass their win total from all of last season (24) before the month of January ... I think you'd agree that this would be rather impressive.

The Jazz, meanwhile, are coming off a double-digit loss to the Lakers last night (109-123), so it's a toss-up on whether it's fatigue or wounded pride that will be effecting their play tonight.

FIRST QUARTER

Boozer scores on the left-handed layup to open the game, while at the other end Allen misses the outside jumpshot over Okur; Perkins grabs the offensive board, but then tries to kick the ball out to Pierce and it winds up over his head and out of bounds

Utah regains possession, however Rondo steals the ball from Williams and sends it upcourt to Ray, who finds KG under the basket for the layup (2-all 11:00).

Miles answers with a three-pointer, then Pierce misses the fallaway jumper, but Garnett pulls down an offensive rebound of his own. He kicks the ball out to Rondo at the top of the key, where he finds Ray spotting up in the corner. Instead of taking the shot, he tries to pass inside to Perk, but that turns out to be the wrong move, as Miles gets a hand on it and Okur comes away with the loose ball.

We head back the other way, as Boozer passes inside to Miles, and he tries to score on the layup over Allen; his shot comes up short, as Rondo takes down the rebound. He makes his way up the floor, then finds Ray who knocks down the 20-footer (4-5 9:12).

Okur tries the jumpshot with KG in his face, and winds up shooting an airball (cue the Nelson Muntz "ha HA!" WAV file); Rondo secures the rebound, then dribbles coast to coast and finishes with a layup (6-5 8:37).

A three-pointer by Allen gives the Celts a four-point lead with seven minutes remaining in the quarter, then Deron loses Rajon off the dribble and knocks down the pullup "jay" (11-9 6:48).

Rondo tries to answer by driving down the lane and is able to draw the foul on Williams, so he steps to the line but can only make one-of-two free throws (12-9 6:37).

Brewer and Garnett trade baskets, then Matt "Lord of the" Harpring (just into the game) is left wide open for the 15-footer (14-13 5:34); the Jazz are off to a good start offensively, hitting six of their first nine shots.

Pierce then misses (the Celts, meanwhile, are 6-for-11 from the floor), but Perkins grabs the offensive rebound (Boston does have a 7-to-1 edge on the boards) and scores on the hook shot (16-13 5:09).

A basket by Harpring with 3:45 on the clock gets Utah within one, then Rondo tries to score on the layup but comes up short; not only that, but he ends up fouling Boozer going for the rebound ... Oooh, Rajon seems to have tweaked his knee during that scuffle (not good), as the Jazz regain possession and Williams makes the bounce pass to Boozer standing at the free-throw line where he buries the jumper (20-21 3:10). Man, Utah's still shooting the lights out, as they have made eight of their last nine shots.

Rondo drives down the lane and fakes a pass to Allen before scoring on the layup (grimacing all the way) to put Boston back ahead, then he gives the (intentional?) foul to Williams at the other end of the floor. He limps to the bench with 2:33 to go in the quarter, as Hugh Laurie comes in to take over the point-guard position ... It's still Jazz ball, though, as Harpring muscles his way in over Pierce for the layup (22-23 2:25).

Wow, it seems like the home team can't miss tonight, as a basket by Paul "General" Millsap gives Utah the three-point edge ... However, Allen quickly answers with another three-pointer (25-all 1:18).

Parker Posey is subbed into the game at this point to try and up the defensive intensity ... Sure enough, he and House pressure Jason Hart-Foundation in the backcourt and nearly force the turnover. However, Jason is able to recover and forces up an off-balance jumpshot as the shot clock expires, and it still goes in (25-27 :52.1)! See what I told you about the Jazz being unable to miss?

House drains a trey with 31 seconds remaining, but Utah won't be denied tonight, as Millsap makes his way into the paint and drains the fallaway jumper over Eddie (28-29 :15.2).

Celts can't get a shot off, as the quarter ends with Boston still trailing 28 to 29 ... A scorcher for the Jazz thus far, as they're shooting SEVENTY PERCENT from the field (14-20 FG)! The funny thing is, Boston ain't too shabby themselves (11-18 FG), so that's why the game is as close as it is.

SECOND QUARTER

House, Glen "Macrosomia" Davis, Posey, Ray, and Allan Tony start the quarter ... Meanwhile, Posey is called for the foul on Okur while he's taking the shot, so Mehmet steps to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (28-30 11:15).

Tony then misses, and Davis tries to save the rebound from going out of bounds, but sends the ball right to Harpring (dangit); he takes it up the floor, then finds Milsap under the basket, who misses the shot but is able to tip it in himself (28-32 10:50).

House answers with another three-pointer (Boston is now 4-for-4 from beyond the arc), but at the other end Deron is left wide open and knocks down the 20-footer (31-34 10:15).

A basket by "Big Baby" gets the C's back within one, then Miles buries the turnaround "jay" with Tony right in his face (33-36 9:11); sheesh, they really can't miss tonight!

Ray buries a trey (the longball has been Boston's saving grace thus far) to tie the game, but at the other end Hart gets into the act by draining the 18-foot jumper (36-38 8:36); Utah has made four of their first six shots to open the second quarter (eep).

House tries to answer with another three-point attempt, but is wide of the mark. However, Davis grabs the offensive board and is fouled trying to score on the putback. The rookie lets out a little "war cry" as his teammates help him up off the floor (which draws some boos from the crowd), as he steps to the line and makes both free throws to get his team within one (37-38 8:11) ... If the C's want to keep this game close, they'll need to improve their free-throw percentage (4-10 FT).

Okur then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Posey, and "Big Baby" snares the rebound. He passes to House, who dribbles upcourt, then finds Ray in the lane but he misses the little bunny. Millsap grabs the rebound and heads back the other way, where he tries to pass to Miles and it appears that he loses the ball out of bounds; however, the refs say that Tony was the last to touch it, so Utah retains possession with 7:33 remaining in the half.

During the stoppage of play, Garnett and Pierce come back into the game (as Davis and Ray Allen take a seat) ... However, they are powerless to stop Miles from scoring on the 15-foot jumper (37-40 7:20).

At the other end, KG comes up short on the jumpshot, but gets his own rebound and kicks the ball out to Pierce. He tries a three-point shot which comes up short, however Garnett winds up with another offensive board (nice) and gets the ball back to Pierce. He passes right back to Kevin, as the defense collapses around him; rather than force the issue, KG kicks it out to Tony who buries the 18-footer (39-40 6:40).

Posey then knocks the ball out of Williams' hands and out of bounds with 6:13 on the clock; Rondo comes into the game at this point after a long absence to replace House (luckily, it looks to be some cramping in his hamstring that was causing the problem and not the knee, whew!). However, it looks like he got a little cold spending all that time on the bench, as Deron is able to lose him behind a pick from Boozer and Rajon isn't quick enough to get back and cover him as he pulls up for the three-point shot and buries it (39-43 6:09)! Egads, Utah is now 20-for-29 from the floor!

Glenn Rivers M.D. needs a timeout, and when play resumes KG backs down Boozer before knocking down the turnaround jumper (41-43 5:37).

Miles answers with the floater over Posey (this is nuts), then Garnett makes a sweet over-the-shoulder pass to Tony under the basket for the layup (43-45 4:58); Boston now has 14 assists on 17 baskets (not too shabby).

T-Allen then bumps Williams off the shot, putting him at the line where he makes one-of-two foul shots with 4:40 to go. At the other end, Garnett again tries to back down Boozer, as he forces up the off-balance shot but still finds the bottom of the net (45-46 4:19); Gorman: "Nice ad lib by KG!"

Tony is then whistled for another foul trying to cover Boozer, so Carlos heads to the charity stripe with four minutes left in the half (the other Allen comes in to replace Tony, while Perkins also comes back into the game for Posey); Utah's big man then proceeds to miss both free throws, as the Jazz are now 2-for-6 as a team from the line.

Unfortunately, the Celts can't capitalize, as Pierce tries to throw a lazy pass to Rondo and Williams easily picks it off. He hustles back the other way, and Rajon accidentally trips him up trying to stop his forward momentum; that's Rondo's third foul already, so he has to head bac kto the bench while House comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Brewer is able to elude Ray off the dribble and buries the jumper (45-48 3:40).

Doc calls another timeout, and when play resumes Perk backs down Boozer and scores on the fallaway "jay" (47-48 3:18); that's eight points (3-5 FG) for Kendrick.

Pierce is then called for the foul away from the ball on Miles, sending him to the line for two free throws. With his team now down by three, Paul tries to makes his way down the lane, but CJ strips him and Boozer collects the loose ball. He gives it to Williams, who goes the length of the floor and tries to take it in over Ray for the layup; his shot misses, but Millsap is in perfect position to tip it in (47-52 2:44)!

Allen then misses from three-point range, but Perkins grabs the offensive board and tries to score on the putback. However, Millsap comes up with the big rejection as the ball sails out of bounds; Boston retains possession, and Ray finds KG for the pullup jumper (49-52 2:05); Kevin now has 12 points (6-7 FG).

Miles then airballs a three-point attempt (!) and Allen collects the rebound. He dribbles coast to coast and finds Pierce wide open behind the arc, but his shot clanks off the rim (Paul now has zero points on 0-for-5 shooting!) and Millsap hauls down the carom. He gives it to Deron who takes it back the other way, then tries to pass inside to Boozer but Perkins picks it off.

A nice defensive play from our young center, but he gets a bit too overzealous and tries to make a fullcourt pass to House that winds up somewhere in the second row (for Boston's eight turnover of the half). Utah regains possession, and Williams slices down the lane between two defenders for the layup (49-54 :31.6); ugh.

Celts hold for (close to) the last shot, as KG tries to force the ball inside to Pierce, but Millsap picks off the pass and sends it upcourt to Deron. He has only House to beat on the 2-on-1 fast break, so he makes the bounce pass inside to Brewer, and Eddie tries to tie him up but gets him around the neck and sends Ronnie crashing to the floor (ouch).

He's alright, but the crowd wants a flagrant foul, and the refs oblige as Brewer heads to the line where he makes both free throws (49-56 :05.0); the Jazz still have possession, but Millsap comes up short on the layup attempt, as the score remains 49 to 56 at halftime ... Utah continues to have the hot shooting touch (24-37 FG). The only reason they're not blowing Boston out of the water is because the C's are still shooting 49 percent themselves (20-41 FG) and are outrebounding their opponents 20 to 12.

However, the Celts do have nine turnovers (the Jazz have just four), so they'll have to be a little more careful handling the ball if they want to give themselves a chance to pull out a victory tonight.

THIRD QUARTER

Pierce opens the second half by taking the ball aggressively to the basket, and is able to draw the foul on Miles. So, he steps up to the line and makes both free throws for his first points of the night (51-56 11:52); yikes.

Williams is then called for a palming violation, as Boston regains possession and Pierce winds up with a three-pointer (54-56 10:54); watch out, Paul is heating up (5 PTS, 1-7 FG)!

Two free throws by Okur put Utah's lead back up to four, then Pierce works the baseline around Miles and gives him the pumpfake to draw the foul; not only that, but he's still able to score the layup, so he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (57-58 10:29).

That's Miles' third foul, so Harpring comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Rondo strips Williams of the ball, but Boozer is able to recover and gets it back to Deron. He then makes a no-look pass inside to Harpring for the open layup (57-60 10:09); ah, that was a missed opportunity.

Sure enough, the momentum seems to be back in Utah's favor, as a basket by Williams puts the deficit back up to five. KG then misses the fallaway jumpshot over Boozer, and Okur pulls down the rebound. He passes to Deron, who dribbles up the floor before passing back to Mehmet open behind the three-point line, and the 6-foot-11 center buries it (57-65 8:28)!

Another basket by Pierce (he's a man on a mission now!) gets the C's within six, then Boozer pulls up over Perk for the 15-footer (59-67 7:18) ... However, Boston hasn't given up yet, as Paul is double-teamed in the paint, so he gives the ball to Rondo. He makes a nice bounce pass inside to Perkins for the layup while being fouled by Okur, and he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (62-67 6:58).

Williams scores again, then Ray misses the three-point attempt and Perkins tips the loose rebound out of bounds (for the record, Pierce is 4-for-5 from the field in the quarter, while the rest of his teammates are a combined 1-of-7). The Jazz regain possession, but Okur misses the jumpshot and KG hauls down the 'bound.

He passes to Rondo, who dribbles coast to coast and tries to finish with the layup, but Mehmet makes his way into the play to block the shot into the stands! Nice defensive play, but Boston retains possession and Garnett knocks down the 15-foot jumper (64-69 5:21).

Pierce then picks off a pass by Williams, and sends the ball up ahead to Ray who takes it in for the layup (66-69 4:54).

It's a four-point deficit with two minutes left in the quarter, when Posey misses the three-point attempt, but Ray grabs the offensive board and quickly pulls up for the short jumper (74-76 1:45).

Boozer then misses, and Rondo comes away with the rebound as the C's have a chance to tie or take the lead ... He passes inside to Garnett, who tries to score on the layup but is absolutely swallowed up by Boozer (could've been a foul called there, in my opinion). Carlos winds up with the ball and passes to Deron, as he heads back the other way and passes inside to Millsap for the layup (74-78 1:09).

The crowd is getting loud now, as Ray tries to make the bounce pass inside to Rondo, but he wasn't expecting the bass as the ball bounces harmlessly out of bounds ... Utah regains possession with 39.7 seconds left (as Davis and T-Allen are in to replace Garnett and Ray), and Hart goes for broke with the three-point attempt but comes up short.

However, Millsap grabs the offensive board, and tries to pass inside to Harpring ... Not so fast, as Posey comes away with the steal, and Matt ends up fouling him trying to take the ball back. The Jazz are over the limit, so James heads to the line and makes both free throws (76-78 :22.1).

Brewer misses a shot at the buzzer, as the score remains 76 to 78 (Jazz) heading into the final stanza.

FOURTH QUARTER

A three-pointer by House gives Boston their first lead since the first quarter (wow), then Tony strips Williams of the ball and takes it all the way in for the layup (81-78 11:03)!

Harpring then fumbles the ball trying to make a move down the lane, and Allen winds up with another steal ... He takes it strong to the basket and is fouled by Millsap, so he heads to the line and makes both free throws (83-78 9:55).

Tony then strips Deron of the ball (for his third steal in less than three minutes!) and has a wide-open path to the basket ... He goes up for the two-hand slam, but (obviously still tentative with that knee) winds up blowing the dunk! Luckily, Posey is right underneath the basket and ends up getting fouled by Okur going for the rebound; Boston retains possession with 9:40 on the clock, but House front-rims a three-point attempt (dangit!) and Okur lets the ball bounce out of bounds.

Utah has a chance to build some momentum now, as Okur knocks down the 20-footer (83-80 9:17).

However, at the other end Pierce gives the pumpfake to get Harpring in the air, as he absorbs the contact to draw the foul and heads to the line for both free throws (85-80 8:56) ... After going scoreless in the first half, Paul has come on strong with 12 points (3-10 FG).

Williams then tries to pass inside to Harpring with Pierce covering him, but it seems as if Matt wants to work on his acting chops (maybe he fancies himself as the next Matt Damon) as he gives a world-class flop job to try and fool the refs ... Luckily, they don't bite, as the ball rolls out of bounds for the turnover. Boston regains possession, and Pierce knocks down another trey (88-80 7:49)!

Pierce is letting us know why people call him "The Truth", as Boozer misses the shot and Posey secures the rebound. He passes to House, who finds Paul in the paint; he takes it in against Harpring and misses the shot, but gets his own rebound and lays it in (90-82 7:06).

Things are looking good ... until the Jazz run off six straight points (including a three-point from Okur and an uncontested layup by Deron) to cut the lead down to just two! The Celts call a timeout with 5:59 left in the game, and when play resumes KG winds up being double-teamed. He gets out of it by making the nice pass inside to Rajon who appears to score on the layup, but waive off the basket as Tony is called for the offensive foul away from the ball (he was using his hands to keep Williams out of the paint).

Ugh, the Jazz regain possession, as Okur is covered nicely by Posey with the shot clock winding down. Unable to get the ball to one of his teammates, Mehmet is forced to throw up a three-point attempt as the buzzer sounds, but is able to bank it in (90-91 5:11)!

Garnett tries to answer, but misses the shot and Boozer pulls down the rebound. He passes upcourt to Williams, who gets the ball inside to Okur, but Pierce winds up blocking the shot (!) and Rondo recovers the loose ball. We head back the other way, as Rajon passes inside to Ray who scores on the finger roll (92-91 4:27).

Deron scores to put Utah back ahead, then Pierce is fouled by Boozer so he heads to the line and sinks both free throws (94-93 3:49).

Williams makes two foul shots of his own, while Paul makes another strong move to the basket to draw the foul (this time on Brewer), however he can only make one-of-two from the line (95-all 2:53).

That means that the Jazz have the ball with a chance to take the lead ... However, Rondo strips Williams (yes!) and Ray recovers the loose ball. He gets it back to Rajon, who tries to set up the offense but Utah is playing some great defense (with the crowd roaring their approval). He winds up giving the ball back to Allen with the shot clock winding down, so Ray pulls up for the three-point attempt at the buzzer - with Miles right on him - and buries it (98-95 2:19)!

A basket by Boozer with 1:22 remaining gets Utah within one, as Doc calls a 20-second timeout. When play resumes, Pierce misses the jumpshot over Brewer, and Carlos nabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Williams, who tries to drive down the lane before kicking it out to Brewer.

Unable to get a shot off, he passes inside to Boozer, who's fouled by Pierce going for the layup ... That's Paul's fifth foul (he stays in the game), as Carlos heads to the line and makes the first free throw but misses the second (!) and Rondo winds up with the loose rebound (98-all :43.8).

No timeout here, as Rondo brings it up the floor and passes to Pierce, who's covered by Brewer but blows right past him and goes in for layup (100-98 :28.3).

Miles then goes for the lead but misses the three-point attempt, and Pierce pulls down the rebound. At first, the Utah players don't seem to realize that they need to commit the foul or else Boston will run out the clock, but someone finally wises up and grabs Paul. That puts him at the line, where he calmly makes both foul shots (102-98 :11.9).

Jerry "Savings And" Sloan calls for time, and when play resumes Williams tries the three-point attempt over Tony but backrims it. Pierce gets himself another rebound, and (before the Jazz can react) he sends a fullcourt pass ahead to T-Allen, who is wide open for the layup - doesn't wanna take a chance with the dunk! - to put this game away (104-98 :01.4)!

It was touch-and-go for awhile there, but the Celts come away with the hard-fought 104-to-98 victory ...

FINAL SCORE: Boston 104, Utah 98

GAME RATING : 15 (Slam Dunk)

TONIGHT'S C.O.G (CELT OF THE GAME): Paul Pierce

BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:

Pierce: 42 MIN, 24 PTS (6-17 FG, 10-11 FT) , 6 REB, 4 AST, 2 STL
R. Allen: 38 MIN, 23 PTS (9-15 FG, 5-9 3PTers), 4 REB, 3 AST
Garnett: 36 MIN, 15 PTS (7-13 FG), 9 REB
Perkins: 22 MIN, 11 PTS (4-8 FG), 9 REB (5 OFF)
T. Allen: 15 MIN, 10 PTS (4-7 FG), 3 STL
Rondo: 29 MIN, 7 PTS (3-8 FG), 7 AST, 3 STL

UTAH TOP PERFORMERS:

Williams: 42 MIN, 22 PTS (9-13 FG), 11 AST, 7 TO
Boozer: 41 MIN, 19 PTS (9-13 FG), 11 REB
Okur: 30 MIN, 14 PTS (4-14 FG), 5 REB, 4 AST
Millsap: 21 MIN, 10 PTS (5-7 FG), 5 REB

POSTGAME NOTES:

Andrei Kirilenko My Eggo did not play for the Jazz tonight (shoulder injury) ... Neither did recent acquisition Ashton Korver, who had just been traded to Utah from Philadelphia (sports.yahoo.com).
The Jazz ended up shooting 55 percent from the field (40-73 FG), with the Celts up around 46 percent themselves (37-80 FG), including 10-for-21 from three-point land.
Tony Allen was tonight's Tommy Award winner.

Recap: Game 22 (at Toronto)

Alessandro — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 21:19:55 -0000

BOSTON CELTICS AT TORONTO RAPTORS

December 16, 2007
1:00 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Air Canada Centre (Toronto, Canada)
Announcers: Mike An-Gorman-agement and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn ; Dr. Laura Behnke (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
Raptors Starting Lineup: Anthony "Wishes He Was Tony" Parker, Jose CalderonThePhone, Rasho Nesterovic's Funky Bowling, "Osh Kosh" Chris Bosh, Jamario Moon Over Parador

It seems everytime I do one of these recaps for CelticsBlog, the rest of New England is paying more attention to a Patriots game ... ah well, such is life. Maybe I'll check whether Belichek and Mangini make nice during the commercial breaks.

As for the matter at hand, Rayden (who hit the game-winning shot last time these two teams hooked up in the Great White North) will miss his second straight contest in order to give his ankle a little more rest; no need to risk anything this early in the season, after all.

Concerning the Raptors, they'll be looking for redemption after the 28-point drubbing they received a week ago in Beantown. However, they also will be down one starter, with T.J. "And the Bear" Ford out of action (after a rather ugly fall against the Hawks [youtube.com]).

FIRST QUARTER

KG buries an outside jumper to open the game, while at the other end Moon misses and Garnett grabs the rebound; he gives the ball to Rondo, who dribbles upcourt and passes inside to Pierce. Paul proceeds to back down Moon before finishing with the left-handed finger roll (4-0 10:32); that's a good sign.

At the other end, Bosh misses the short "jay" and Rondo comes away with the rebound. He passes to Allen, who brings it upcourt and gives the ball up to Pierce; he dishes it inside to Garnett, and Moon winds up covering him (not a good place to Jamario to be), so KG easily scores with the hook shot (6-0 9:55).

Bosh then tries to work the baseline against Kevin, but Pierce ends up being called for the reach-in foul; that puts Chris at the line, where he makes both free throws to put Toronto in the scoring column (6-2 9:30).

KG then backrims an outside jumper; Calderon controls the rebound and quickly takes it back the other way, where he finds Bosh underneath the basket. He tries to back down Perkins, but young Kendrick sticks to him like glue, so he kicks the ball back out to Calderon who buries the three-pointer (6-5 8:59).

At the other end, Pierce misses the shot (Boston is now 3-for-5 from the field) and Nesterovic grabs the rebound; he sends the ball upcourt to Calderon, who finds Moon underneath the basket. He tries to kick it out to Parker, but Tony winds up with the steal and takes it back the other way.

Not for long, as Calderon strips him of the ball and finds Bosh, who rims out the 15-footer (Toronto is 2-for-6 from the floor) and Perk snatches the loose board. He sends the ball up to Pierce, who passes inside to Garnett, where he's fouled by Bosh.

It was a non-shooting foul, so Pierce inbounds the ball to Rondo, who gives it back to Paul; he drives to the basket, then gives the little upfake to get Moon in the air, and is able to finish with the easy layup (8-5 7:59).

At the other end, Celts play some great defense, and force Nesterovic into shooting up an airball as the shot clock expires; that gives Boston back possession, and Pierce again works his way inside against Moon, where he finishes with another layup (10-5 7:18) ... Heinsohn asks "Is the Moon a star? Not tonight, he's not!"

Calderon buries the jumper to bring the Raptors back within three, then Garnett misses the shot and Parker comes away with the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Calderon, who passes inside to Bosh, but he misses the pullup "jay" over Perkins; Nesterovic secures the offensive board, and passes back to Bosh cutting down the lane. He misses again, but the refs call the foul on Pierce, so that puts Chris at the line where he makes one-of-two free throws (10-8 6:11).

Rondo buries the outside jumpshot (Boston is now 6-of-9 from the field), but Parker answers by nailing the trey (12-11 5:13).

The few Raptors fans who bothered to show up (there's a near-blizzard going on up in Toronto right now [weather.com]) try to cheer on their team, but at the other end Pierce is covered by Carlos "Isle" Delfino - who's just come into the game to replace Moon - and is able to draw the foul on Carlos while taking the shot. So, Paul steps to the line and makes both foul shots (14-11 4:55).

Another free throw by Bosh with 4:38 on the clock gets Toronto within two, then Garnett is double-teamed and makes the crosscourt pass to Rondo for the open 15-footer (16-12 4:19).

He's not done, as Rajon strips Calderon of the ball and takes it back the other way; Bosh comes over to try and stop his forward momentum, so he throws the alleyoop pass up to KG for the strong one-handed dunk (18-12 3:59)!

Parker then misses, and Perk pulls down the 'bound; he hands the ball off to Rondo, who proceeds to go coast to coast and takes it right at Parker underneath the basket. His layup attempt misses, however Perkins grabs the offensive board and finishes with the two-hand slam (20-12 3:26); the bench sure enjoyed that one!

Parker hits a three-pointer to try and rally his troops, then Garnett is whistled for the foul trying to keep Nesterovic out of the paint (that was a weak call); the Celts call timeout, and when play resumes Glen "Macrosomia" Davis is in to replace KG (that was his second foul). It's still Raptors ball, but Parker front-rims the jumpshot, and Perk controls the board. He passes upcourt to Pierce, who drives to the basket before making the nice pass inside to Davis for the layup (22-15 2:03).

Kris Humphries-Bogart then misses, and Kendrick gets himself another rebound. He passes to Tony, who brings the ball upcourt before dishing to Pierce; he drives down the lane against Delfino and draws the foul (his second), which puts Paul back at the charity stripe where he proceeds to make both free throws (24-15 1:36).

Jason Busta-Kapono-Ass comes into the game at this point to replace Carlos (now it's his turn to try and contain the Truth), while Bosh takes it to the basket and is fouled by Perk. He steps to the line (these will be his seventh and eighth free throw attempts already!) and makes both of them (24-17 1:27).

However, Parker Posey knocks down the trey with 38.6 seconds left, putting Boston's lead after one in double digits (27-17) ... What a peformance from the C's thus far; not only is their offense clicking (11-18 FG), but they've held the Raptors to just 24-percent shooting (4-17 FG)!

SECOND QUARTER

Pierce, Davis, Hugh Laurie, Posey and Allen are in to start the quarter ... "Big Baby" gets things going with a layup, while at the other end Bosh misses the outside jumpshot. Pierce grabs the rebound and takes it upcourt himself, then loses Juan Mason-Dixon Line with the sweeet crossover move to get himself into the paint; Bosh comes over to try and cover him, so Paul just lays it down to Davis and Chris is forced to tie him up. That puts the rookie at the line, where he makes one-of-two free throws (30-17 11:22).

Andrea Left His Bargnani-Door Open then misses the 15-footer, but Humphries grabs the offensive board and kicks it out to Dixon. He tries to take it in against House, however Eddie slaps the ball away and it goes right off Juan's knee and out of bounds!

Boston regains possession, as Pierce is double-teamed, so he kicks it out to a wide-open Posey for the three-pointer (33-17 10:37)!

The Raptors take a timeout to try and regroup, but when play resumes House strips Parker of the ball (he's an equal-opportunity thief) and takes it back the other way; he passes to Pierce cutting down the lane for the layup attempt, but Bargnani winds up with the block. Unfazed, Eddie manages to recover the loose ball and scores on the putback (35-17 9:51).

A dunk by Humphries with 8:44 left in the half gets Toronto within sixteen (the Raptors have now misses five of their first six shots to open the quarter), while at the other end Pierce backs down Parker and finishes with another layup (37-19 8:21).

Bargnani tries to answer, but misses the shot and Pierce comes away with the carom; he takes it upcourt himself, then tries to drive down the lane for another scoring opportunity. Three players wind up surrounding him (you think Paul has their defense rattled yet?), but the refs end up calling the foul on Parker ... It's a non-shooting foul, so that gives Glenn Rivers M.D. a chance to sub Garnett back into the game while Pierce takes his first rest of the night (12 PTs, 4-6 FG).

Meanwhile, Davis is called for the three-second violation, so the Raptors regain possession with a chance to chip away somewhat at Boston's impressive lead ... Of course, they do nothing of the kind, as Dixon throws up an airball (cue the Nelson Munz "ha HA!" WAV file); that gets some booing out of the crowd, as Allen gets the "rebound" and takes it back the other way. He gives the ball to House, who passes to Garnett at the top of the key, and he swings it back around to Tony who's all alone behind the three-point line and buries it (40-19 7:10)!

Oh man, nothing to complain about here ... After another Toronto timeout, Calderon misses the outside shot (the Raptors are shooting just 5-for-26 now!) and the loose rebound goes off Bosh out of bounds. The C's regain possession, but Posey misses the three-point shot and Jose pulls down the rebound. He brings it upcourt himself, then passes to Moon, who knocks down the jumpshot with Allen right in his face (40-21 5:38); hey, even the few shots that the Raptors do make are being contested, me likey!

It's still a 19-point game at the 3:57 mark when Pierce comes back into the game to replace Tony ... Meanwhile, Kapono misses the three-point attempt, but Bosh grabs the offensive board and finds Humphries who finishes with the layup (42-25 3:34).

The meager crowd starts a meager "De-fense!" chant, but Perkins shuts them up with the hook shot over Bosh (44-25 3:10) ... Still, the Raptors are able to string together somewhat of a "mini-flurry" to get within fourteen (50-36) at halftime; I guess the Celts got bored.

And who could blame them? The Raptors aren't even shooting 30 percent from the floor (11-38 FG) ... The only Toronto player who's scored in double digits is Bosh (11 PTS), and he has more free throws made (9-12 FT) than field goals attempted (1-7 FG).

If things keep going like this, we might be able to wrap things up early, get these people in the crowd back to their igloos (or whatever it is that Canadians live in).

THIRD QUARTER

The second half gets off to an ominous start, as the roof is leaking near the Celtics bench (that's just great, it's Worcester all over again [parquetwishesandleprechandreams.blogspot.com]) ... Oh, turns out that the snow isn't finding its way into the building after all, but rather that condensation is forming on one of the vents up in the rafters. That's a little easier to fix, so the maintenance crew turns off the vent and - after a 14 minute delay - play is able to resume (whew).

Despite the holdup, Garnett buries the outside shot (same way he started the first half). At the other end, Moon misses the three-point attempt, and KG grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Allen, who takes it all the way to the basket and has his layup attempt goaltended by Bosh (54-36 11:21).

Chris redeems himself by knocking down the 15-footer over Garnett, then Pierce misses the three-point shot and Calderon hauls down the rebound. We head back the other way, as Jose makes the nice pass inside to Nesterovic for the layup (54-40 10:30).

A layup by Moon gets Toronto within twelve (hmm, hope the delay didn't cool down the Celts' defensive intensity); Jamario then commits the foul on Pierce, so Paul heads to the line but misses both free-throw attempts (uh oh).

That's not good, as the Raptors regain possession ... Luckily, Parker tries to drive along the baseline and winds up stepping out of bounds. That gives Boston another opportunity to score, and Rondo makes it count by slicing down the lane for the layup (56-42 8:02).

Bosh then tries to take the ball inside, and has his shot blocked by Perkins; however, Chris is able to recover and again tries to take it inside ... Whoops, he's called for travelling (tee hee). Boston regains possession, as Rondo again drives down the lane, but this time he kicks it out to Garnett for the open 15-foot jumper (58-42 7:34).

That quiets the crowd somewhat ... but Calderon wakes 'em right back up with the alleyoop pass to Moon for the powerful two-hand slam (58-44 5:58)!

Garnett then misses, but Allen ends up with the loose rebound and kicks it out to Pierce. He uses the crossover move to elude Moon, then pulls up and buries the 15-foot jumper (60-44 5:27).

At the other end, Tony slaps the ball away from Bosh (that's right, more defense!) ... Pierce picks it up and goes coast to coast for the layup attempt; that rims out, but KG reaches in over Bargnani to tip it in (62-44 4:36).

Parker then misses the three-point shot; Posey grabs the rebound and passes upcourt to House, who passes inside to Garnett. He's immediately double-teamed, so he kicks the ball out to Tony, and he makes a nice spin move around Delfino to finish with the layup (64-44 3:26).

That's better ... After a Raptors timeout, Bosh scores the basket, but House quickly answers with the trey (67-46 2:14).

Parker then misses, and Davis (just into the game) collects the board. He passes to Pierce, who dribbles upcourt, then gives the ball up to Posey. He drives down the lane and is grabbed by Kapono, so he heads to the line and makes both foul shots (69-46 1:35).

Kapono answers with the basket (he's just 1-for-6 from the field), while at the other end Pierce works the baseline against Delfino and is hacked from behind going for the layup; there's no foul called on Carlos, as the loose ball goes off Bosh and out of bounds. That means that it's still Boston possession, but that does little to quell Pierce's anger over the non-call, as he begins to jaw with the official (and rightfully so, might I add).

That earns him a technical foul, and Kapono makes the free throw to get him team within twenty; House then misses the jumpshot, and Bosh pulls down the rebound. He passes to Dixon, who quickly pushes the ball upcourt, then finds Kapono open behind the three-point line and he buries it (69-52 :36.8).

This isn't ending well, as two free throws by Delfino cut the lead to fifteen with 13 seconds remaining ... Celts go for the final shot, as Rondo nearly dribbles the ball off his own foot, but is able to recover and rises up over Dixon and buries the 20-footer as the shot clock expires!

That's a nice way to deflate the crowd, as Boston is still up big (71-54) heading into the final stanza.

FOURTH QUARTER

Unfortunately, things aren't so rosy at the start of the fourth, as Darrick Kwik-E-Martin hits a three-point during a 7-0 Toronto run to open the quarter (71-61 9:58).

Doc decides that a timeout would be in order, and when play resumes KG tries to back down Bosh ... He's got him covered, so Kevin kicks it out to Pierce, who swings the ball around to House. He passes inside to Posey, and James tries to take it to the basket but is met by Graham, who proceeds to execute a major flop job and the refs bite!

Ugh, that is ridiculous, as Toronto regains possession ... Wow, the crowd is really loud now (I didn't think there were enough people in the seats to make that kind of noise), as Kapono misses the three-point attempt but the loose rebound bounces right back out to him. Luckily, he steps out of bounds trying to make another shot; that gives Boston back the ball, as KG hits the fallaway jumper over Graham (73-61 9:09).

Delfino then misses the three-point shot, and Posey grabs the rebound; he passes to House, who dribbles upcourt before getting the ball inside to Garnett. He tries to score over Bosh, but comes up short and Calderon takes down the loose board. That gives the Raptors another opportunity, but Posey knocks away Delfino's pass intended for Graham; Allen hustles in to snatch the ball up, and goes coast to coast before being fouled from behind by Calderon.

That's a non-shooting foul with 8:18 on clock, so Pierce inbounds to House, who gives it back to Paul. Covered by Calderon, he executes a devastating spin move (so devastating that it sends Jose flying out of bounds!) which leaves him wide open for the 15-foot jumper ... of course, Paul nails it (75-61 8:08)!

Bosh answers with the basket, then Garnett tries to score down low ... he's double-teamed, so he kicks it out to an open Hosue and he buries the trey (78-63 6:40)!

Celts are starting to pull away again, as Bosh misses again and Posey tears down the rebound. He passes to House, who takes it upcourt as we pass the halfway mark of the quarter ... Pierce ends up with Parker on him, and nails the fallaway jumper (80-63 5:52).

The building is silent again, as Toronto calls a timeout; when play resumes, Humphries tries to re-energize the crowd by hitting the hook shot over Posey (80-65 5:30).

House then misses a deep three-point attempt (he had to hoist it up to beat the shot clock) and the ball bounces out of bounds; the Raptors regain possession, but Humphries misses the outside jumper and KG secures the rebound. He passes to Pierce, who slooooowly brings the ball up the floor (the clock is our friend now), then passes back to Garnett. As the defense collapses around him, he kicks it out to House, who swings it around to Allen who buries the three-pointer (83-65 4:38).

Now we're cooking, as Parker is whistled for the offensive foul (Posey stepped in and absorbed the charge); Boston regains possession, as Garnett is again surrounded underneath the basket, so he passes out to a wide-open House and it's his turn to knock down the trey (86-65 3:55)!

Heinsohn puts it best, as he addresses the Raptors' players and tells them that "the Celtics are here to stay, and you better fear them, because they are gonna be in your face all season long!" ... Garbage time makes the score closer than it actually was, as Celts win their ninth straight by the score of 90 to 77.

FINAL SCORE: Boston 90, Toronto 77

GAME RATING : 16 (Slam Dunk)

BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:

Pierce: 41 MIN, 18 PTS (7-15 FG), 6 REB, 4 AST
Garnett: 34 MIN, 16 PTS (8-18 FG), 8 REB, 6 AST
Rondo: 24 MIN, 14 PTS (7-12 FG), 4 AST, 2 STL

TORONTO TOP PERFORMERS:

Bosh: 38 MIN, 17 PTS (4-12 FG, 9-12 FT), 13 REB, 5 AST, 2 STL
Moon: 20 MIN, 13 PTS (6-9 FG), 3 REB
Humphries: 20 MIN, 12 PTS (5-9 FG), 9 REB

POSTGAME NOTES:

The Celtics have now won nine straight games (matching their longest winning streak since the 1992-93 season).

Recap: Game 11 (vs Los Angeles Lakers)

Alessandro — Sat, 24 Nov 2007 13:15:03 -0000

BOSTON CELTICS VS LOS ANGELES LAKERS

November 23, 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 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
Lakers Starting Lineup: Black Mamba No. 5, Derek Fisher-Price, Andrew Bynumb3r, Lamar Odom and Domber, Ronny Fast and the Turiaf

The Rivalry (note the capital letters) has been dormant for quite awhile now. In fact, it's been at least seventeen years, by my last count.

I remember it well, as the two most storied franchises in professional basketball history saw a major decline in their success levels during the mid-90s ... However, whereas the Celtics have never really recovered from those title-less doldrums, the Lakers were able to make the moves and lure in the free agents to surge ahead and regain their own glory days.

So, we fans had to watch Shaq and Kobe hoist the championship trophies high over their heads ... while those green and white banners in the rafters continued to collect dust, waiting for a new member to join in their ranks.

And yet, things are a little different in the here and now - Mr. Bryant has alienated a lot of people with his on-again/off-again trade demands over the summer, and (even though his teammates have helped put together a respectable 7-4 record thus far) it's looking like La-La Land may be waiting a long time before they get another whiff of the NBA Finals ... Meanwhile, our 9-1 Celtics are grabbing the headlines for all the right reasons; it may still be too early to say whether there's more hype than substance there, but at least we're starting to see some light (however dim) at the end of the tunnel.

FIRST QUARTER

This building is rocking right from the start, as Bynum wins the opening tip against Perkins and Odom collects the loose ball; he gives it back inside to Andrew, who backs down Kendrick but misses the hook shot. KG grabs the rebound, and makes the pass upcourt to Pierce; he proceeds to give the ball to Rondo, who swings it around to Ray and he finishes the nice ball movement with a bounce pass inside to Perk for the layup (2-0 11:28).

Odom inbounds the ball to Kobe (which immediately brings down a rain of boos) as he brings it upcourt, then gets it back to Odom who tries an alleyoop pass underneath to Bynum; howwever, Perkins is able to break that up and Rondo collects the loose ball. He pushes things back the other way and finds Pierce for the three-point attempt, but is shot is wide to the right and Bryant pulls down the rebound (to more boos). He sends the ball up to Fisher, who takes a pick from Bynum to get Rajon out of the picture and scores on the layup (2-all 10:48).

Allen works the baseline against Bryant for a layup of his own, then at the other end Kobe pulls up for the three-point shot over Ray and misses; Garnett gets another rebound, and sends the ball upcourt to Rondo. He passes to Ray, who finds Pierce in the corner (as he almost loses the ball out of bounds) and gives it up to Perk for the hook shot in the lane (6-2 9:44).

Bynum tries to answer but comes up with the miss, and Rondo takes down the loose board; he dribbles upcourt himself and spots Allen in the corner for the trey (9-2 9:21).

Nice start to the game ... however, the Celts proceed to miss their next four shots, while a layup by Turiaf gets LA within three with 6:40 on the clock. Rondo then makes a nice pass inside to Perk, where he's fouled by Bynum trying to go up for the dunk. That puts Kendrick at the line as Chris Mihm's The Word comes in to replace Andrew (he has two fouls), where he makes one-of-two free throws (12-8 6:18).

Odom then misses the shot, but gets his own rebound and kicks it out to Fisher. He gives the ball to Kobe, who quickly passes back to Fisher open behind the three-point line (Rajon left him alone to focus on double-teaming Bryant). However, the shot misses, and Perk gets himself a rebound; he passes upcourt to a hustling Rondo, who finds Pierce in the corner and he is able to knock down the three-pointer (15-8 5:40).

Two foul shots by Fisher cuts the lead down to five, while at the other end Ray passes inside to KG but he airballs the fallaway jumper over Turiaf (!); however, Perk gets the loose ball (his third rebound) and is fouled by Derek trying to score on the putback. So, he's back at the line, and makes both of his free throws (17-10 4:53); for the recordd, Kendrick has made 15 of his last 18 free throw attempts (impressive).

Turiaf then tries to score on the pullup jumper over Garnett, but comes up short; KG grabs the rebound and passes upcourt to Rondo. He passes to Ray, who swings the ball around to Pierce, and the captain spies Kevin motoring up the floor. So, he throws up the alleyoop pass to KG for the strong two-hand slam (19-10 4:18).

The crowd likes that, but they like it even better when Pierce proceeds to steal the ball from Odom at halfcourt and takes it all the way in for the layup (21-10 3:50)! That really whips them into a frenzy, and that emotional energy siphons into the Celtics' defensive efforts, as Garnett goes up high to reject a shot by Mihm (wow!) and Ray recovers the loose ball. He passes upcourt to Perkins, but he mishandles the ball and Fisher comes away with the steal.

He takes it back the other way, and finds Odom alone in the corner. However, he misses the three-point attempt and Pierce snags the 'bound, then makes a fullcourt pass to Ray who goes in for the easy layup (23-10 3:06).

That forces the Lakers into a timeout (this place is going crazy), and when play resumes Glenn Rivers M.D. decides that it's time to make some substitutions: Parker Posey and Allan Tony are in the game (Perk and Pierce have a seat). Meanwhile, Kobe tries to take it in against Posey but misses the layup (!) and James grabs the rebound. He gives it to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and then passes inside to KG. He goes for the turnaround "jay" over Odom but front-rims it; Kobe gets the loose board and takes it coast to coast for another layup attempt, but misses again (he's 1-for-6 from the floor). Me likey ...

Bryant is finally able to score with two minutes remaining in the quarter to get the Lakers within eleven. However, at the other end Posey makes a nice bounce pass inside to Tony who finishes with the two-hand dunk (25-12 1:26)! Nice to see that elevation back in his game ...

Hugh Laurie comes into the game for Rondo in the closing moments, while Kobe takes matters into his own hands and drives right at Tony to draw the foul (his second already). That puts him at the line, where he makes both free throws (25-16 :33.7).

Celts can't score, so the quarter ends with with the score remaining 25 to 16.

SECOND QUARTER

Sasha Vuja-cicle (starting the second quarter in place of Kobe) is fouled by Tony while going for the jumpshot; that's his third foul (!), so The Scals of Justice comes in to replace him. Meanwhile, Sasha makes both free throws to inch LA closer (27-17 11:13).

House is then called for a travelling violation (Boston's fourth turnover), as the Lakers regain possession and Luke Walton Disney takes it in over Scals for the layup (27-20 10:49).

Pierce then has the ball knocked out of his hands by Walton; he goes to the floor to save it, but Vujacic ties him up and forces the jump ball. Paul wins the tap, as the ball goes out to Scalabrine and he fakes the three-point shot to get Walton in the air; instead, he passes inside to Perkins, who scores with the two-hand dunk. Not only that, but Vladimir Totally Radmanovic fouls him from behind as well, so Kendrick steps to the line where he makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (30-20 10:24).

Jordan "Old McDonald Had a" Farmar answers with a three-point basket, then Perk is called for the travelling violation trying to make a move on Bynum (he comes up limping after the play). LA regains possession, and Farmar passes inside to Andrew for the layup (30-25 9:42).

House scores with a trey of his own, then Farmar comes up short with the long-ball but gets his own rebound and kicks it out to Vujacic. He goes for his own three-point shot, but comes up with an airball instead (the Lakers are now 1-for-7 from three-point range).

It's Celtics ball, as Perkins tries to pass inside to Pierce, but the refs whistle him for the offensive foul as he pushes away Walton. That means that LA gets antoher chance, however Radmanovic misses the three-point shot (maybe they should lay off the three's for awhile) and Posey pulls down the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to House, who passes to Scals and - spotting James hustling up the floor - gives it to Posey who drives to the basket and scores on the layup (35-25 8:13).

House then steals the ball from Farmar, as we head back the other way; he finds Pierce who misses the jumpshot, but the loose rebound goes off one of the Lakers out of bounds. Boston retains possession, and Pierce is left alone behind the line and knocks down the trey (38-25 7:50)!

At the other end, Walton misses from beyond the arc (see, they never learn) and Posey snares the rebound. He gives the ball to Pierce, who takes it upcourt himself, then Perk sets a screen on Farmar which leaves Paul an open path to the basket for the layup (40-25 7:16).

A basket by Walton breaks the Laker's scoring drought, then Pierce tries to pass inside to Perk but Radmanovic picks it off. He gets the ball upcourt to Farmar, who tries to make a move around Rondo, but is called for travelling with 6:34 on the clock. Garnett comes back into the game during the stoppage of play, as it's Celtics' ball; Pierce makes the pass inside to KG, where he's fouled by Bynum (his third). So, Kevin heads to the line, and makes both free throws to give Boston a 15-point lead (42-27 6:24).

Now Kobe makes his return to the game after a long rest (Mihm is also in to replace Bynum), as a "Beat LA!" chant from the crowd starts up; that's always nice to hear ... Meanwhile, Mihm misses the turnaround jumper over Perk, and Garnett swallows up the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Pierce, and he passes inside to Kendrick who's faced with a double-team. Rather than force the issue, he simply passes to KG, who is fouled by Turiaf making a move to the basket; that means that Kevin's back at the line, where he adds two more foul shots to his total (44-27 5:55).

The Lakers are starting to unravel, as Mihm is called for offensive foul; that gives Boston back possession, as KG misses the turnaround jumper over Turiaf. However, Rondo goes up high for the offensive rebound (I think he accidentally hit Fisher across the back of the head during his jump); unfortunately, he can't score on the followup shot, and Odom secures the rebound. He passes upcourt to Kobe, who kicks it back to Fisher and he hits the pullup jumper over the outstretched hand of Rajon (46-29 4:42).

KG scores again (Turiaf cannot guard him), then Odom tries to take it in against Perkins but misses the layup (LA is shooting 5-for-14 from the field in the quarter); Garnett grabs the rebound whilst being fouled by Odom over the back. Lakers are over the limit, so Kevin makes yet another trip to the line and hits one-of-two free throws (47-29 3:32); KG has some decent numbers in the first half thus far (9 PTS, 2-7 FG, 7 REB).

Fisher scores at the other end, then Garnett misses the jumper and Mihm grabs the rebound. He gets the ball upcourt to Kobe, who finds Odom and he slices down the lane between two defenders for the layup (47-33 2:50).

Perk then makes a nice crosscourt pass to Rondo for the outside jumper (he's 1-for-3 from the floor). Fisher tries to answer with the three-point basket, but comes up short and Rajon saves the loose rebound from going out of bounds by getting it to Pierce (nice hustle play). He takes it back the other way and passes to Ray, who gives it right back to Paul behind the three-point line. However, his shot misses, and Fisher comes away with the board. He dribbles up the floor and passes inside to Mihm, who kicks it back out to Turiaf and he knocks down the pullup "jay" (49-35 1:41).

Pierce then tries to back down Odom, but misses the shot and Bryant gets the rebound. Lakers still have a chance to chop this Celtics lead down further before halftime, but Turiaf front-rims his shot and KG snatches away the rebound (his eighth). He passes to Rondo, who finds Pierce in the lane covered by the smaller Fisher; taking advantage of the situation, Paul just shoots over him and buries it (51-35 :52.7).

The Lakers call for time, and when play resumes Kobe has his pass stolen by KG (ha HA!); he gets the ball upcourt to Rondo, who finds Ray in the corner. He tries to work the baseline, but has the ball knocked out of his hands by Bryant; however, Rondo picks it up and fakes the behind-the-back pass (to get Fisher looking the wrong way), then proceeds to take it all the way in for the layup (53-35 :28.1)!

Oh man, the crowd is on their feet after that one ... Lakers can't score on their final possession, so we go into halftime with the Celts leading 53 to 35. A great offensive output by Boston, shooting 50 percent from the floor (19-38 FG), with 14 assists on 19 made baskets; not too shabby.

Pierce is the leading scorer with 12 points (5-10 FG), but Perkins - of all people - isn't too far behind with 10 (3-4 FG) and five rebounds. Keep it up, big man!

THIRD QUARTER

Bynum scores with a dunk to open the second half, then Ray answers with a pullup jumper off the pass from Rondo (55-37 11:11).

Bryant tries to answer but misses the outside shot; however, the loose rebound goes off Pierce out of bounds. The Lakers retain possession, and Fisher makes the bounce pass inside to Kobe who scores on the reverse layup (55-39 10:43).

Garnett comes right back with a nice dish inside to Perkins, who finishes with the impressive one-hand slam. At the other end, Kendrick blocks a shot by Bynum, but Fisher collects the loose ball and finds Kobe for the three-pointer (57-42 9:54).

Perk then tries to back down Turiaf; the second-year player hits the deck on a (poorly-executed) flop job, but the refs' whistles remain silent (good for them). That leaves Kendrick an open look at the basket, but he misses the hook shot and Bynum grabs the rebound. He passes upcourt to Kobe, who gives it up to Fisher and he nails the three-point basket of his own (57-45 8:55).

Lakers are trying to rally, but Bynum ends up fouling KG (his fourth!) and Mihm is back into the game to replace him as Garnett makes both free throws. At the other end, Mihm misses the shot and Pierce pulls down the carom. He gives the ball to Rondo, who dribbles up the floor before passing inside to KG, and he finishes with the layup (61-45 8:17).

A trey by Radmanovice makes it a 13-point Celtics lead with 7:30 on the clock, then Ray drives down the lane right at Mihm to draw the (late) whistle. That earns him a trip to the line, where he makes both free throws (65-50 7:21).

Bryant and Garnett trade baskets, then Kobe pulls up over Ray from behind the three-point line and the refs signal a foul (Heinsohn: "He never touched him! NEVER TOUCHED HIM!"). That may be, but Kobe still heads to the charity stripe for three free throw attempts; he's only able to make two of them (67-54 6:37). For the record, Kobe has made 45 of his last 47 free throw attempts, and that was his first miss on the road this season. Just so you know.

KG then misses an outside shot, and Mihm takes the rebound. He passes to Fisher, who goes coast to coast and tries to go in for the layup, but knocks down Pierce and is called for the offensive foul (Heinsohn: "Pierce was spread WIDE, baby!"). Boston regains possession, as Garnett is double-teamed so he passes over his shoulder and inside to Pierce, who hits the fallway jumper over Radmanovic (69-54 5:45).

Mihm responds by throwing a pass intended for Odom out of bounds (LA's 11th turnover); that gives it back to the Celts, and Rondo scores on the pullup "jay" from the free-throw line over Fisher (71-54 5:11).

Wait, it gets better, as Kobe makes the pass inside to Mihm but his shot is rejected by KG (Heinsohn: "That's Bill Russell stuff!"). Perk grabs the loose ball and passes upcourt to Pierce, who takes it inside against Odom to draw the foul. He heads to the line and makes one-of-two free throws (72-54 4:48).

The Lakers continue to bungle away their opportunities, as Odom is whistled for the travelling violation while trying to make a move inside against KG; Boston regains possession, and Ray misses the shot, but Perkins muscles his way in against Mihm for the offensive board. He is fouled by Kobe while scoring on the layup, then makes the free throw to complete the three-point play (75-54 4:24); that's 15 points on the night for Perk, he almost has as many as Bryant (19 PTS)!

Whoops, Kobe must've heard me, as he answers with the three-point basket to up his total over the 20-point mark ... At the other end, Ray tries to work the baseline but is double-teamed, so he kicks it out to Pierce for a three-poiner of his own (78-57 3:55)!

It must be "bombs-away" time, as Radmanovic counters with another trey. Turiaf then blocks a layup attempt by Ray; Farmar gets the loose ball and passes up ahead to Kobe. He misses the jumpshot, however, and KG controls the rebound. He gives it to Rondo who takes it back the other way, driving down the lane to draw in the defense, then passing off to Perkins who finishes with the two-hand slam (80-60 2:57)!

A turnaround jumper by Garnett makes it a 22-point Celtics lead with 2:30 remaining (Boston is 12-for-18 from the floor in the quarter). At the other end, Kobe misses the outside shot (the Lakers, meanwhile, are shooting 8-of-17 in the quarter) and KG goes up for his tenth rebound (another double-double). He passes upcourt to Rondo, who finds Ray in the lane and he tries to take it in over Turiaf but misses the layup; man, another off night for Allen, as Ronny gets the rebound and gives the ball to Farmar. He takes it back the other way, then passes inside to Walton who shoots up an airball (!); Pierce snatches the loose 'bound, then dribbles coast to coast and makes a nice move around Farmar but the refs call him for travelling (aw, what a bunch of spoil sports).

At this point Perk and KG take a seat with 1:34 on the clock (Posey and Scals come back into the game); Kobe also returns to the bench in favor of Vujacic, as Walton misses the shot but Radmanovic is able to tip it in (82-62 1:20).

Rondo answers with a nice pass inside to Scals for the basket (seventh assist for Rajon), but Radmanovic quickly answers with the outside jumper over Pierce (84-64 :53.5).

Vujacic scores in the closing moments, but the Celts are still leading big (84-66) heading into the final stanza ...

FOURTH QUARTER

Vujacic scores again to open the quarter, but Posey answers with a three-point basket (87-68 11:26).

Bynum then tries to score inside with Pierce covering him, but Paul is able to slap the ball out of his hands out of bounds; it's still Lakers' ball, as Walton inbounds to Radmanovic, who quickly scores on the layup while being fouled by Pierce. That earns him an extra free throw to complete the three-point play (87-71 10:43).

A layup by Farmar gets the lead down to 14, but Posey comes to the rescue as he pulls up over Jordan for another trey (90-73 9:22).

Farmar scores again (he lost House off the dribble), then Walton steals a pass from Scals and gets it to Jordan, who finds Vujacic open in the corner. His three-point shot misses, however, and Pierce nabs the rebound; he takes it upcourt himself before making the crosscourt pass to House for the outside jumper (92-75 8:28). That's Paul's seventh assist (he's right on Rondo's tail).

Farmar then throws a pass off the leg of Pierce out of bounds with 8:16 remaining; Doc takes the opportunity to get KG back into the game, which Phil 'Er Up Jackson quickly counters by re-inserting Kobe back into his lineup. It's still Lakers' possession, by the way, and Bryant immediately makes his presence known by hitting the pullup jumper over Tony (92-77 8:03).

At the other end, Pierce is double-teamed in the paint, so he passes inside to Garnett for the open one-hand slam (94-77 7:50). Kobe then misses a fallway jumpshot with Tony right on him, and Posey grabs the rebound (the crowd has now gotten a derisive "Ko-BEE" chant started up, much different from the chants of "MVP! MVP!" they were directing at him last season) ... However, Pierce back-rims the shot, and Bynum pulls down the rebound. He gets it upcourt to Farmar, who passes inside to Radmanovic for the layup (94-79 6:40).

Bryant knocks down a three-pointer with 5:30 left in the game (he now has 27 points), but at the other end he commits the foul on Ray (Kobe's third). Lakers are not yet over the limit, so Boston retains possession and Pierce makes a nice pass inside to Ray; he goes up for the layup and is sandwiched in between Odom and Bryant. Of course, the refs call the foul on Lamar, so Allen steps to the line with 5:07 showing on the clock.

He misses the first free throw (man, is he struggling), but is able to compose himself and ... misses the second! You don't see that everyday, as Odom grabs the rebound and passes upcourt to Kobe; he gives the ball up to Radmanovic, who finds Farmar in the corner for the three-pointer (94-85 4:53)!

Uh oh, things are getting a little tight now (Heinsohn: "The Celtics are letting the Lakers become aggressive"), as Ray puts up a three-point shot that just barely grazes the rim and bounces out of bounds. It's Lakers ball with a chance to inch closer, but Kobe gets a little too cocky and pulls up about two feet behind the three-point line with Ray right in his face; that misses, and Perk gets the rebound (his eighth). He gives it to Rondo, who takes it upcourt and finds KG in the corner. He tries to back down Odom, and Farmar comes over for the double-team; Kevin then gives it back to Rajon, who now has an open lane to the basket. That brings Bynum over to try and stop him, but Rajon just dishes it to a wide-open Perkins for the layup (96-85 4:01)! That's a career-high 19 point for the big man!

At the other end, Farmar passes inside to Kobe, who is double-teamd by both Garnett and Allen. He tries for the shot anyway, and the refs whistle Ray for the foul; that's his third, as Heinsohn exclaims "Nobody touched him ... but he's Kobe Bryant so he gets to the line!"

As Tommy predicted, Bryant steps to the line with 3:42 remaining in the game, but misses the second free throw. Kevin grabs the rebound, and gets the ball upcourt to Rondo. He passes to Pierce, who drives down the lane as the defense collapses around him. He then finds Perkins underneath the basket, where he's hammered from behind by Radmanovic (no call) but is still able to score on the layup (98-86 3:11); there's no stopping Perk tonight!

After an LA timeout, Odom misses the three-point attempt, and the loose rebound goes off Farmar out of bounds. Boston regains possession, and Rondo makes the nice bounce pass out to Ray who finally hits a three-pointer (101-86 2:11) ... Radmanovic hits a trey of his own to quiet the crowd somewhat, then Kobe gets his hand on a pass by Rondo, and Odom comes away with the loose ball. He goes coast to coast for the layup to get the Lakers back within ten (101-91 1:33).

LA is still fighting, as Lamar blocks a layup attempt by Ray out of bounds; it's still Celtics' ball, as Rondo passes out to Garnett for the pullup jumper (103-91 1:16). That's ten assists on the night for Rondo!

At the other end, Pierce steals the ball from Farmar and sends it back up the floor to Allen. He dribbles some time off the clock, before Bryant just decides to give foul, putting Ray at the line where he makes both free throws (105-91 :52.0) ...

That pretty much kills any hopes for an LA comeback, as The Rivalry (remember to capitalize!) has begun anew and the Celtics take the first game, 107 to 94!

FINAL SCORE: Boston 107, Los Angeles Laker 94

GAME RATING : 16 (Slam Dunk)

BOSTON TOP PERFORMERS:

Perkins: 34 MIN, 21 PTS (8-10 FG, 5-6 FT), 9 REB
Garnett: 36 MIN, 21 PTS (7-16 FG, 7-8 FT), 11 REB, 3 AST, 2 BLK
Pierce: 44 MIN, 20 PTS (8-18 FG, 3-6 3PTers), 9 AST, 6 REB, 3 STL
R. Allen: 35 MIN, 18 PTS (5-15 FG, 2-7 3PTers), 4 REB, 4 AST
Rondo: 34 MIN, 6 PTS (3-6 FG), 10 AST, 1 TO
Posey: 18 MIN, 10 PTS (3-4 FG), 6 REB

LOS ANGELES TOP PERFORMERS:

Bryant: 36 MIN, 28 PTS (9-21 FG, 3-7 3PTers), 4 REB, 3 AST
Radmanovic: 29 MIN, 18 PTS (7-12 FG), 4 REB
Fisher: 23 MIN, 13 PTS (4-8 FG), 2 REB

TONIGHT'S COG (CELT OF THE GAME): Kendrick Perkins

POSTGAME NOTES:

Boston is now 7-0 at home.
No surprise that Perkins was tonight's Tommy Award winner.
It was another rough night for Ray Allen ... He shot just 2-for-9 in the second half.
Prior to the game, Just Pruitt was assigned to the Utah Flash of the Developmental League, where he will join Snifter of Brandon Wallace for the NBDL's season opener Saturday night.
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was in attendance tonight.

Game 2 Recap (at Toronto)

Alessandro — Mon, 05 Nov 2007 03:56:55 -0000

BOSTON CELTICS AT TORONTO RAPTORS

November 4, 2007
2:30 PM EST (Comcast SportsNet)
Air Canada Centre (Toronto, Canada)
Announcers: Mike AnGormanagement and Tommy "Want to Touch the" Heinsohn ; Dr. Laura Behnke 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
Raptors Starting Lineup: TJ "And the Bear" Ford, Anthony "Wishes He Was Tony" Parker, Jason BustaKaponoAss, Osh Kosh Chris Bosh, Andrea LeftHisBargnDoorOpen

The Patriots may be sitting at 9-0 after a win over the Colts, but the Celts are working on a little winning streak of their own ... yes, the quest for the perfect 82-0 season continues!

Okay, maybe that's just a tad bit unrealistic, but after a pretty convincing victory against the always-humble Gilbert Arenas and his Washington Wizards on opening night, nothing has been done to dissipate those sky-high expectations that Celtics fans have built up for this club. And what better opponent to continue those newfound winning ways than against the defending Atlantic Division champion Toronto Raptors?

We're a long way from Rome, but this whirlwind tour of the "Not Big Three" had its beginnings against these same Raptors in their very first game together ... However, this contest will actually count in the record books, so don't count on our boys' intensity level dropping.