CELTICS GREEN BLOG by and for boston celtics fans: Al and Perk Come Up Big in 2OT Win Over Magic

March 28, 2007

Paul Pierce was clutch and Perk and Al both came up big in a 105-96 win in double OT over the Orlando Magic. There was some exciting individual play as well as great team play.

Perk was the player of the game. I said it in the game thread and still believe it after watching the game. His defense on Howard was key to the game. He came up big on both ends of the floor finishing with 11 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 blocks. Big Al also came up big, scoring 8 straight points in the second overtime and finishing with 23 points, 13 rebounds, 1 steal and 1 block in spite of being in foul trouble much of the game. Powe played only 6 minutes and fouled out after pulling down 1 rebound. Doc had to be happy, after telling Powe that he needed to foul more, Powe took his advice to heart.

Rondo proves to me more and more that he is the point guard of the future (and present) for this team. The team just runs so much smoother when he is at the point. He needs to work on his shot over the summer and if he can come back next season able to hit the mid range shot consistently, the sky is the limit for this kid. He does everything else so well. He finished with 6 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. Telfair had a tough night and struggled his way to 4 points, 2 assists, 3 turnovers, and a technical foul for losing his cool on a call where he stepped out of bounds. Allan Ray played only 6 minutes and had 2 points.

Pierce came up big in spite of reinjuring his elbow early and playing in pain much of the game. He finished with 32 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block in 53 minutes. He scored 15 of his points in the 4th quarter and 2 OT sessions, including an 18 foot jumper to send the game to OT and a 3 pointer to send it to double OT.

West played a game high 54 minutes and finished with 17 points (6-13), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, and 1 block. When matched against his old friend Jameer Nelson, he got the best of the matchup. On the defensive end, he was on Hill much of the night and Hill's 4 inch height advantage allowed him to get easy shots over Delonte. Gomes is still struggling to get his conditioning and shot back after his recent injury. He finished with 8 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals. Green played only 9 minutes and finished with 2 points (an impressive windmill dunk), 1 rebound, and 1 block.

This was a good win for us in that the team never lost focus. They withstood several runs by Orlando and fought back with tenacity and defense. The Celtics out rebounded the Magic 46-45 thanks to the unrelenting efforts of Al and Perk on the boards. We also committed only 14 turnovers to 20 for the Magic. It was a good effort all along. The Magic does have something that the Celtics desperately need right now and that is Lottery Luck. They have won it 3 times including twice in a row when they chose Shaq and Hardaway and one time when they had the 11th worst record. Danny needs to talk to Pat Williams and find out his secret before May 22.

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