CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Celtics Close Out Road Trip with a Win

January 1, 2007

Celtics finish the road trip 1 and 4 closing out the trip with an 89-81 win over the Portland Trailblazers. There were a lot of positive performances tonight and even though the Blazers aren't the best of teams, the Celtics fought hard and played well together.

Tony Allen is one of the brightest spots. He was aggressive from the first basket to the last and finished with 22 points on 9-13 shooting to go with 8 rebounds and 3 steals and some solid defense. Gomes was another bright spot as he broke out of his slump with 18 points on 7-9 shooting and 10 rebounds, 1 steal, and 1 assist. The best part of his game was the defense he played on Zach Randolph. He never did get going and that was a big factor in the game.

Wally once again struggled with his shot, shooting only 4-14 from the field and 7-10 from the line. But he made some big plays in the 4th to help assure the win. He also had 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal in last minute that ended in a dunk and helped to secure the win. Delonte was playing injured but played over 30 minutes and finished with 8 points on 2-8 shooting to go with 3 rebounds, 4 assists and only 1 turnover.

Al had another solid game providing good defense in the paint and finished with 14 points, 11 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Perk played only 11 minutes and finished with 2 points and 1 rebound but played some good defense. He went down in the 4th holding his ankle and limped to the locker room. At first they said it was a right ankle sprain and it was doubtful that he would return. But not long after he was back on the bench and available to play although he didn't get back in the game. Hopefully he had his ankles taped and it was a mild sprain and won't cause him to miss any time.

Green played 15 minutes and played solid defense when he was in. He shot 3-7 and finished with 6 points and 4 rebounds. Rondo only got in for 12 minutes and finished with 2 points, 1 rebound, and 1 assist but as always he gives the team a boost with his energy and his defense. Telfair finished with 2 points, 3 assists, and 1 rebound to go with 3 turnovers. He still has trouble finishing at the basket but played hard when he was in.

All in all it was a good win for us. We needed a win and they pulled together and played team ball and pulled it out. I still don't understand why Powe isn't getting more minutes. Our first game with the old/new ball was a success. They asked Wally, Green and West about playing with the leather ball and the change at this time. Wally said that they had just adjusted to the new ball and now they have to re-adjust to the leather ball again and he didn't feel it was a good time to change. Green said it didn't matter. As long as it was round and bounced it was ok with him. Delonte said he is a player and he will play with whatever they give him. If they give him a sock he will play with a sock. And he had trouble keeping a straight face. We are 1-0 in 2007. A good way to start the new year.

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