Paul Pierce missed tonight's game due to the birth of his daughter. Doc decided to sit KG and Ray Allen as well. You would think since the Celtics have struggled with the Bobcats all season with the three stars in the lineup that we would really struggle with those three out. But, it was just the opposite. The Celtics jumped out to a lead and never looked back. They easily won the game 101-78.
Rondo, Tony, Posey, Powe and Perk started the game. Sam, PJ, Big Baby, House, and Scal got plenty of playing time as well. The player of the game was Leon Powe. He finished with 22 points on 5-8 shooting, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, and 2 steals along with hitting 12-13 from the free throw line. James Posey set the tone for the team as he scored 19 point and pulled down 3 rebounds but brought the leadership and defense that they needed with KG sitting out.
The Celtics shot 44% from the field while allowing the Cats to shoot 42%. The story of this win was on the boards, though as the Celtics out-rebounded the Bobcats 54-35. The Celtics also made it to the line a lot more than the Bobcats as they shot 27-34 from the free throw line while the Bobcats were only 9-16. It was great that the bench that has been often maligned was the team that was responsible for winning this game that was big for several reasons.
With this win, the Celtics clinch the best record in the Eastern Conference. They also clinch home court advantage throughout the playoffs. This win also put them in the record books with the biggest turnaround from one season to the next. As of now, they have 37 more wins than last season and this beats the record set in the '96-97 season when Tim Duncan joined the Spurs.
Doc has said that Pierce, Garnett and Ray will all probably rest at least one more game although he doesn't expect to sit them all out in the same game. Rondo may also miss a game but he plans to play Perk in every game to keep his conditioning up. It has been an absolute fairy tale season and is about to get even better as we get into the playoffs with home court advantage throughout now in hand.
The Globe is reporting that KG and Ray Allen will be joining Paul Pierce in sitting out tonight's game against the Bobcats.
Celtics All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen will get tonight's game against the Bobcats off to get rest. Boston's magic number, combination of its wins and Detroit losses, is down to one to get homecourt advantage throughout the playoffs. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said that whether Garnett, Pierce or Allen play in remaining regular-season games will be decided on a game-to-game basis. Rivers not only would like to get the three All-Stars rest during the rest of the regular-season, but would also like to get his bench more minutes before the playoffs.
With 2 days off before and 2 days off after tonight's game, it makes sense to give the starters some rest. While the record would suggest that this should be an easy game, Charlotte has been anything but easy for the Celtics this season. It will give the bench players more experience and will be good to prepare them for the playoffs along with giving the 3 stars some rest. Pierce plans to rejoin the team in Milwaukee on Monday.
With Malice is hosting an Unsung Player Day for blogs to share who they feel their teams' unsung players are. Be sure to check out all the festivities over on their site.They chose Leon Powe, who was a very close second for my vote. There were two other Celtics blogs participating and Leon was the obvious choice since he has played very well, but under the radar all season.
With the Celtics having the best record in the league and the biggest turnaround from one season to the next in NBA history, they have gotten plenty of press. It is hard to say that the team or anyone on it is totally unsung, but I do believe that there is one player, besides Powe, who doesn't get the credit he deserves for the Celtics success and that is Kendrick Perkins.
At the beginning of the season, there were two big question marks on the Celtics. One was Rondo at the point and the other was Kendrick Perkins in the middle. Rondo has won just about everyone over and very few people question his ability to run the team. But, there are still people who don't give Perk credit for what he has done this season.
Many point to the stat sheets and say that he doesn't produce like the starting center on a championship team but nothing could be farther from the truth. He is in his 5th season and every year, his points, rebounds and blocks have steadily improved. This season he is averaging 7.3 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 1.5 blocks in 24 minutes per game. He doesn't score a lot of points, but then again, he doesn't have to. And, he doesn't take a lot of bad shots. He is approaching the all time Celtics record for highest field goal percentage for a season. But, Perk's real value goes way beyond these stats.
Perk's defense makes it easier for his teammates. On rebounds, he is very good at boxing out. When Perk boxes out, it makes it easier for KG and the others to grab the rebounds. He also is very good at setting screens which makes it easier for his teammates to get open to score. His toughness inside and his unwillingness to back down from anyone makes the Celtics defense that much better. KG has been one of Perk's biggest supporters and readily admits that Perk's work in the middle makes him a better player.
Perk's value is in the fact that he does just what his coach and his team asks of him and doesn't try to go outside of his role, a role he fills very well. And, good big men are hard to find and command a premium salary. Perk is a bargain at 4.5 million dollars. He may not get the accolades of the three stars or even of Rondo, but he is very crucial to this team's success.
The Benny the Bull incident is just the latest in a series of incidents that involve James Posey and the Chicago Bulls. Bulls coach, Jim Boylan, expressed a degree of satisfaction at the fact that James Posey was the one hit by the tee shirts supposedly shot by Benny the Bull.
Coach Jim Boylan applauded Benny the Bull following Wednesday's practice at the Berto Center. "Well, it was against Posey," Boylan said. "It's open season against him any time he steps on the court in Chicago. I was proud of Benny. I'm glad he took matters into his own hands." "He orchestrated it," Boylan said. "I have to admit, I got a little bit of a chuckle out of that one. It was pretty good."
During the game, Posey was soundly booed when he entered the game and then, the fans continued to boo him every time he touched the ball. The boos were a step down from the "Posey sucks" chants that the Bulls fans used to greet Posey with. But where does this animosity all come from? Why is he booed and hated so much in Chicago? It all goes back to when he was in Miami.
One incident occurred in Game 3 of the Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat first round match in 2006. Kirk Hinrich was dribbling up the court when Posey hit Hinrich with a hard shoulder block sending him to the floor. It was called for a flagrant-2 foul and Posey was ejected from the game. Posey explained the hit: "I was just trying to get back on defense and cut the ball off. He didn't see me and that's how collisions happen. That's all it was." Posey was also suspended for one game because of this incident.
A second incident happened in the season opener of the 2006-07 season. Bulls rookie Tyrus Thomas was going for a rebound and was hit in the face by Posey's elbow. The hit broke Thomas' nose. He missed a few games and had to wear a protective mask a la Rip Hamilton for a few games. Posey wasn't assessed a flagrant for this hit as it was deemed accidental.
A third incident occurred in a December 2006 game in the United Center. Luol Deng was fouled hard by Posey while going up for a layup. Deng fell hard on his wrist on which he had surgery the previous year. Posey was again called for a flagrant-2 foul and ejected. He also received another one game suspension for the incident.
James Posey is the players Bulls' fans love to hate. This is why it is rather hard to believe that anyone shooting Posey in the back with a tee shirt, whether it was Benny or one of the Indredibulls' team, could possibly be an accident. Benny the Bull has a rather checkered past himself, however. Back in 2006, Benny was charged with attacking an off duty police officer. He also showed that he is prone to violence in an appearance on the Jerry Springer show, of all places.
I guess we should just be happy we don't have to play the Bulls any more this season because I don't think we have heard the last of Bullgate yet.
According to Sports Tonight on CSN and the Herald, Paul Pierce may miss Saturday's game in Charlotte for the birth of his first child. Steve Bulpett mentioned that Pierce is the 5th player from last year's squad that has had a baby this season and joked that it is no wonder they only won 24 games last year. Rajon Rondo, Brian Scalabrine, Kendrick Perkins and Leon Powe also became fathers this season. This would be the first game missed by Pierce. He is the only Celtic to play in every game this season.
The Celtics should be motivated to beat the Bobcats since they are one of the 6 teams that beat them on their home court and are also one of only 2 teams to beat them by double figures. For some reason, the Celtics have struggled with the Bobcats and with or without Pierce, they are going to want to win that game.
Here are comments found around the Pacers' boards during their game with the Celtics. I agree with the last commment. Garnett will never go down without a fight and he won't let his teammates stop fighting either. KG is a difference maker and makes everyone he plays with better.
Gosh I hope we don't get embarassed on national TV...
Make the green black and blue
I'm hoping there's NOT a Celtics-Pacers series this year though, it would be the inverse of the 2004 first-round series, and I would have to gnash my teeth. Screw that, gimme the lottery pick!
Anyone familiar with wwe wrestling....well that theme song for vince mcmahon "NO CHANCE" is running through my head... YOU GOT! NO CHANCE! NO CHANCE IN HELLLLLLLLLLLLL UH YOU GOT! NO CHANCE!
Could get ugly.
Nah it will be close. I would put money on it that its not going to be a 15+ loss even if we lose. I could see the Celtics resting their starters a little since the Pistons are doing it. We should win this game.
I think we are gonna go out there and surprise them.. No, not win.. But make it a tough game for them.. They aren't going to win as easily as they think.. We got JO back and he is gonna make KG fight for every single bucket..
Celtics are tired from last nite and does not want to push their stamina getting ready for the play-offs
9-2 wasn't the start I was looking for.
We really don't have much of a chance...right now Boston is making it look way too easy.
You know it's bad when scrubs like Leone powe are killing you! Least
The refs seemingly have made the game one sided themselves.. They are not calling some things that should have been called against Boston..
How the hell do we have 14 FTs to Boston's 5?
Jermaine is getting robbed!! They are pullin on his Jersey and they aren't even callin anything!
House is a jerk.
It's awesome when they have their second unit in and you are down 10.. How great does that feel??
They arent calling SQUAT in favor of the Pacers... Ugh
I don't think you can say that, we have taken almost twice as many free throws as the Celtics have.
Exactly. I have no problems with the officiating (so far). We just suck.
Put all the bench players in!! It worked pretty well with Boston..
26 points, my lord. I remember only 2 years back when games against the Celtics during April were usually extremely entertaining (and fruitful for the Pacers). Now it's not even close.
Ya know? What I think it is.. The Pacer players were shook before they even stepped on the court.. And they psyched themselves out... That is why they are playing so horrid...
It's a good thing we won't make the playoffs...4 straight games of this would be unbearable. This is painful enough...
We got em right where we want em! They played yesterday! The third quarter is our biggest quarter always! We always play well in the third and finish strong in the 4th. HEEEEERE COME THE PACERS!
I don't know how extensively you guys have watched the Celts this year, but this is not their highest level. The 2nd half could be significantly worse. Just a warning really.
Why is it that we always seem to have random guys that normally suck, turn into "Pacer killers" when we play them.. There's got to be something wrong there..
The Celtics are just on another level compared to us. I really think they're the best team in the league so I don't feel too bad about this performance, but I'd love to see SOME effort on the defensive end.
Can we get hubie brown to be our coach? He seems to have a better handle on what our team should do then Obie does...
We won the 3rd quarter!!!!
Being down by 16 isn't that embarrassing. Looking like a bunch of people with no clue what they're doing on the floor while Boston plays around with us is what's embarrassing.
I think our boys are getting hungry now and can taste a comeback
Um...no. If it starts to get close, Boston will refocus and smack us back down.
Too bad KG owns JO on both ends!
Mannnn garnett is just standing there grabbing rebounds effortlessly!
The Celtics are far too talented for Detroit to handle, especially when you consider the Piston's history of recent playoff meltdowns.
Give us back the missed FT's and wide open 3's and we only lose by 10 I think...
Pathetic performance by the Pacers all around...pathetic effort, pathetic execution, pathetic preparation, pathetic pride.
The thing that bothered me most though is how little pride this team has. They've just become too accustomed to losing. Once Boston made that initial run, they just started going through the motions as if they didn't care whether they won or lost...and they lost quietly. If you're going to lose, at least lose with some noise, pride and inner-fight. I remember a day and age when everyone on the Pacers hated losing, and took the court with pride...if another team tried to run up the score on an off night, team pride kicked in...I can't say I saw anyone on the floor too bothered with losing tonight. The difference between JO and Garnett, regardless of physical health/condition is in team pride. Do you think Garnett would have gone down quietly in a game like that? Pathetic.
With their 92-77 win over the Pacers, the Celtics have won 60 games for the first time in 22 years and they have tied the record for the biggest turn around in league history. They never trailed in this game as they got off to a fast start and never looked back.
Ray Allen played 37 minutes in this game. Pierce and KG played 31. When the Pacers cut the lead down to 13 in the 4th, Doc brought the starters back to assure the win. The Celtics shot 44% while holding the Pacers to just 36%. The Pacers shot 31 free throws to only 21 for the Celtics but they made just 19 of 31. The Celtics had 18 turnovers and that is still too many. They are going to have to cut down on those in the playoffs. The Celtics out rebounded the Pacers 51-41.
I really hate it when ESPN cuts away from the Celtics game to show bonus coverage of another game. Tonight, they cut away to the Hawks/Raptors game right after the Pacers had cut the lead to 13 and Doc had brought the starters back in. I know it was an important game and a close game, but if I wanted to watch that game, I would have tuned into it. I wanted to watch the Celtics game and was pretty upset when they left the game I was watching to show another game.
The Celtics had 4 players in double figures with KG leading the way with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals and 1 block. Leon Powe once again had a big game with 14 points, 9 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal and 1 block. Leon is just a very special player. He once again got the tough play of the game as he does every game. Ray Allen was also in double figures with 15 pints, 1 rebound, 3 assists and 2 steals. Pierce finished with 13 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
The magic number for the Celtics to clinch home court advantage throughout the playoffs is 1. They have a couple of days off and face a Bobcats team on Saturday that has given them problems all season and are one of the few teams to beat the Celtics on their home court and one of only 2 teams to beat the Celtics by double figures so that should be motivation enough for the Celtics to come out strong against them. In the meantime, Celtics fans can enjoy 60 wins for the first time since their last championship team.
According to the Globe, the Bulls Mascot, Benny the Bull is denying charges that he hit KG and James Posey in the backs with tee shirts. The Bulls organization are blaming it on a member of the Indredibull promotional team who fell and accidentally hit the the two players in the backs.
Bulls officials say that the incident was a result of an accident by its promotional team, the Incredibles. One of the members apparently fell down as it was shooting t-shirts into the crowd.
“When the Incredibull member tripped, the shirts were accidentally launched in the direction of the Celtics, but they did hit the floor first according to what we saw. When it took place we did take steps to apologize to the Celtics’ bench and the referees during the timeout and let them know what happened during that same timeout," said Bulls spokesman Tim Hallam.
The Bulls have watched the incident over video.
Instead of hitting the crowd, the T-shirts hit the Celtics players. When Garnett and Posey turned to look where the shirts came from, all they saw in their vicinity was Bennie.
Bulls officials said they told the game referees what had happened. Then the referees told the Celtics bench the story. However, the Celtics did not buy the tale.
Benny the Bull may comment later today, but says he is innocent of all charges.
However, according to the Bulls officials, Benny does not speak and conduct interviews.
If it has been anyone other than James Posey, I might buy it, but the Bulls absolutely hate Posey. Bulls' fans have been heard chanting "Posey sucks" the whole time he is on the floor and last night they soundly booed him every time he touched the ball. With all that Posey hate going around, it is no wonder the Celtics didn't buy the accidental shooting story. KG was just collateral damage.
Here are comments from around the Bulls' boards during their game with the Celtics. I remember at the beginning of the season, I was worried about the Bulls because on paper they are a very talented young team. Somewhere along the way, though, the wheels fell off. I so remember that feeling last season - hoping the young players do well but lose for that all important lottery position. Sooooo glad that we don't have to think about that this season.
The Bulls WILL look like FOOLS and the punchline is Boylan. This will be a joke..literally!!
The biggest joke that can be played on us at this point is a win to give us this ounce of hope that we can make the playoffs.
The only joke will be on us (the fan base)...as the horri-bulls will blow the game in the 4th yet again.
...and I can't wait to explode when Bimbo the Clown puts in the small lineup to start the 4th.
Even if six of the Celtics' best players became deathly ill and missed the game tonight, the Bulls should still lose just on principal
Bulls forfeit the remaining games of the season, due to flu-like symptoms.
I don't think I will even watch this game. We will lose by 30
Our coach is certifiably retarded.
I'm afraid that there isn't enough scotch in the world to make this game enjoyable to watch.
Great! One of the only times they show a Bulls game in England, it is against the Celts. Is it worth staying up till 4am? NO!
Bulls offense is dreadful. If Boston plays well on D tonight as well, it could get very ugly.
Nice. Boston getting a home court advantage even on the road.
Celts with a very sloppy quarter, lots of turnovers.
Why do the Bulls ALWAYS leave James Posey wide open on the perimeter? He always makes like a zillion 3-pointers against them, yet they NEVER defend him!
They're probably afraid. If they guard him he may try to hurt them
Check out Big Baby's Mohawk
Is this a joke? Ray Allen has no chance of defending Thabo?
Haha, KG talked some **** to Duhon.
Haha... When talking about the Celtics at the halftime show, Stacey King said with a straight face: "They are who we thought they were", and Tommy D just nodded with his own straight face
I never understand how a guy like RAY FREAKING ALLEN gets wide open threes.
I'm just saying this now: the Bucks lose twice to the Heat and are losing to the Knicks at home. Besides Miami (who is cutting players who play well) there is no team trying to tank more than them.
Garnett barked at the 2 youngins like a vet is supposed to do is testing young players and they both responded. That's a sign of mental toughness right there.
I know this is sacreligous, but Leon Powe was an absolute beast in high school and not for balky knees would have gone top 5. And then with that balky knees he still dominated at Cal.
James Posey fouls you EVERY time, is almost Bruce Bowen levels.
I don't get how five guys play defense and NO ONE is near the BEST THREE POINT SHOOTER IN THE LEAGUE (I don't want to hear stats, if I needed a three, Allen is the guy I would want taking it).
A few months ago people were saying that they didn't think the Celtics were going to amount to much and the Bulls could go to the Finals. That the Bulls were deep and the Celtics were too star reliant. Yikes. Those theories sure have been shot up. My money is on the Celtics to win the basketball game.
It does appear that the Celtics have had a better season than the Bulls.. And it would appear that those predicting success for the Bulls this year were wrong. Thank you for the analysis.
A decent performance by the bulls really, I was waiting for the Celtics to completely pull away so I could go to bed, but it never happened. We were always within around 7 points.
I'm defecting to the Celtics. The Bulls are too through this year.
The much, much better team won. See, one of these teams is a real contender for the NBA Championship and the other is some mess of broken jib.
With last night's 106-92 win, the Celtics have swept the Bulls for the first time since the 1986-87 season in spite of a very sloppy game last night. It was much closer than most expected because of 19 turnovers for the Celtics, although the Bulls failed to score off many of them. Pierce had 3 turnovers, two of which were just dribbling into traffic and losing the handle on the ball. Rondo had a very un-Rondo like game with 7 turnovers although he did also have 9 points and 10 assists. The Celtics need to solve the turnover problem when they get into the playoffs as there, the teams will take advantage of them.
A couple of notable points from the game. Big Baby showed up with a mohawk. I guess Scott Pollard has had his effect on this team even though he didn't play all that much this season. Not sure how long the Mohawk will last as Baby was taking some heat from his teammates for it. He had 2 points, 3 rebounds and a steal in only 5 minutes of play, so then again, maybe he should keep it around. For the second game in a row, Perk and KG combined for an alley oop dunk. I still say it is a special thing when your center can hit your power forward with an alley oop pass.
Leon Powe continues to make a case for more playing time with 6 points and 6 rebounds (5 on the offensive end) and a block in 16 minutes. This kid is so tough and makes the big plays and fights hard for those rebounds along with playing very good defense inside. He doesn't back down from anyone. Having that kind of toughness off the bench is invaluable. Of course, he has the advantage of guarding KG in practice, so who is he going to face in games that is tougher?
The Celtics overcame their sloppiness with the ball by putting on a 3 point shooting display. They shot 56% from beyond the arc with Pierce hitting 4-5, Ray hitting 5-7 and James Posey hitting 3-7. For the most part, I don't like being so enamored of the 3 because some nights those are not going to fall and I would rather see them take it inside where they will either score or draw the foul.
James Posey is definitely not a fan favorite in Chicago that goes back to several physical incidents when he was with Miami. He was loudly booed when he entered the game and then again every time he touched the ball. I guess he should be happy that it was just boos as in the past the crowd would chant "Posey sucks" whenever he was in the game.
The Bulls obviously plotted their revenge, however and used Benny the Bull to do it. Here is an account from the Globe: Bennie the Bull literally took a shot at Kevin Garnett and James Posey last night.
During the fourth quarter of the Celtics' 106-92 win over the Bulls at the United Center, the Chicago mascot shot T-shirts out of a T-shirt gun that hit them in the back. The incident happened when Garnett and Posey were walking to the bench during a timeout with 2:49 remaining. Garnett and Posey gave Bennie the Bull a glare, and, said Garnett, "We exchanged words."
Garnett was sent back to the bench by the referees after trying to explain what happened.
"I felt threatened," said Posey, who is considered a villain among Bulls fans for his tough fouls when he played for Miami, and was booed every time he touched the ball last night. "They already don't like me here already.
"Two T-shirts were thrown at me and KG. I don't feel safe. The T-shirts were fired out of that gun or whatever.
"I feel a little sore in one spot. I might have to get treatment.
"First, I thought it was a teammate just tapping me. But then I looked down and there were T-shirts and there were only two down there. Let's see how the league handles this."
The Chicago announcers were complaining about the Celtics pressing on defense with just 2 minutes to go. They said that if they were players they would remember something like that and get even for it. Personally, I think Doc is still working on different things for the playoffs and that may have been one of them. I didn't think it was any big deal but they sure seemed to.
Doc played the starters their regular minutes last night and didn't sit them in favor of the bench. In Detroit, Flip Saunders deactivated his starters and they won anyway. I can see Doc wanting to keep the starters playing somewhat since they don't have the luxury of playing together for 4 years and still are working some things out. But, down the stretch, I would hope to see them get a little more rest.
NBA.com has announced that Doc Rivers has been named the Eastern Conference Coach of the Month.
The Boston Celtics’ Doc Rivers and the Utah Jazz’s Jerry Sloan today were named the NBA Eastern and Western Conference Coaches of the Month, respectively, for games played in March. Rivers, who captures his second Coach of the Month award this season (October/November), guided the Celtics to an NBA-best 13-3 (.812) record in March, which included wins over the Pistons, Spurs, Rockets, Suns and Hornets. The Celtics averaged 101.2 points on .478 shooting from the field while limiting opponents to a league-low 88.6 points on .408 shooting. Boston’s 12.6 ppg margin of victory was the league’s highest differential in March.
While it may seem like the Celtics don't have anything left to play for, a second look tells us that they have plenty to play for over their last 9 games. Several of these teams are possible first round matchups for the Celtics and they need to send the message that they are in control and not give any questions as to whether the Celtics can be beaten.
First up is Chicago who are in the 10th spot and 4.5 games back of the 8th spot. It is possible for them to make it if the other teams have a collapse and they win all of their games so, they will be trying to do their part and beat teams like the Celtics who may be letting up as they look forward to the playoffs. But, it would be a mistake for the Celtics to lose to a team they may face in the first round of the playoffs.
After the Bulls, the Celtics face the Pacers who are tied for the 9th spot and only 3 games back. It is even more possible for them to land in the 8th spot as they just got a boost with Jermaine O'Neal returning after a 2 month absence. The Celtics and the Pacers have had a building rivalry in past years including the Celtics being ousted from their last playoff appearance by the Pacers. The Celtics definitely don't want to give them a foot in the door.
After Indiana, the Celtics face the Bobcats. Charlotte has no hope of making the playoffs, but the Celtics have a score to settle with them. The Bobcats gave the Celtic one of only 2 double digit losses this season as they beat them in the Garden 95-83. They seem to match up with the Celtics very well as the Celtics barely beat them in their first matchup 96-95 and won in another close game 108-100 in their last meeting. The Celtics need to win this one simply to avenge that double digit loss earlier in the season.
The Milwaukee Bucks are the only team that the Celtics don't really have an issue with. They are out of the playoffs and the Celtics have beaten them easily in their earlier games and there could be a let down against them. The Celtics face them twice in their last 9 games.
Then, there is Washington. We won't see them in the first round, but may face them later on. The biggest motivation for the Celtics in beating the Wizards is that they have already beaten the Celtics twice. The Cavs and Magic have also beaten the Celtics twice, but the Wizards did it in back to back games and that seemed to make it sting worse. The Celtics need to send them a message that those wins were a fluke and that the Celtics are definitely the better team going into the playoffs. We don't want to allow a possible playoff matchup to have the mental edge of having beaten us 3 times in the season.
We face Atlanta, New York and New Jersey in our final 3 games. Atlanta is in 8th place now and would be the team we face in the first round if they stay there. Needless to say, if they are still in the 8th spot at this time, we need to beat them. You just don't want to go into the playoffs having just been beaten by the team you are going to face in the first round. New York and New Jersey are division rivals and we need to beat them just for pride's sake in the division.
I expect Doc to give the bench, especially Tony Allen plenty of time to work on their games and chemistry as a unit over these last 9 games. Doc will want to try to rest the starters as much as possible so they will be fresh going into the playoffs, but he also doesn't want to give teams we may face a mental advantage going in either. Doc will have to walk a thin line to try to win the games along with trying to keep his starters fresh. It will be up to the bench to produce in the minutes they get as the players who produce down the stretch will be the ones given minutes in the playoffs.
Here are comments found around the Heat boards during their game with the Celtics. The Heat fans aren't a real chatty bunch. I had to go to 5 different boards to find these comments and only one thread had more than 1 page and that one had 2 comments over 1 page. I guess you can't blame them. Their team doesn't really resemble any semblance of their real team, their coach is out scouting the NCAA tournament, and they do only have 13 wins. Maybe we should call this the Blount effect.
For those who forgot about our beloved team. Heat take on Celtics @ 6 (Watching Derrick rose makes me happy)
We have the opportunity to break every record for futility in this game. I had a dream last night where the Hat scored a NBA low 39 points, and I didn't know we were even playing today vs Boston
Rondo is playing amazingly well for me,it will be fun to watch the game,Riley don't know yet if will be there or not. "The guys that are out there playing, we have a lot of pride," Heat guard Chris Quinn said. "The only thing we can do is play as hard as possible. We've got 10 or 11 games left, and we've got to leave it all out there."
Win or lose IL be a heat fan for life!I agree I hope guys we can acquire glen baby face Davis next season.there is something special hidden greatness in this player which I think pat riley knows.hope we can acquire his service via trade.Mr. Pat riley please get big baby.we stil believe in your greatness.
Glen Davis is been a amazing player this season ,he has the body and for his body he has the power and a decent athleticism but I don't think Boston will do that change.
Wow, 4-22? Excellent Celtics D? Or are we just bad?
2:00 left in the first we have 4 points
How did we score 4?
Phantom call on Ricky Davis shot kept the Heat from setting first record of futility. I think this is the highlight of my fan career, proving my dedication by spending half an hour finding a stream to watch this game over the Internet to watch NBDL'ers who won't play for us next year, get humiliated to levels unseen by the best team in the league.
Tommy Heinsohn is a trip! Mike Gorman (play by play guy): So who do you like on the Heat? Heinsohn: Who? Gorman: Yes, do any of their young players stick out to you? Is there anyone you would like to keep if you're them? Heinsohn: Put it this way, if I were fishing I'd throw them all back!
We set the NBA record for the lowest fgs made in a game with 17. We're setting record as the season goes on. Take that Boston!
Well, we lost, and by almost 30. No surprise there. Luckily I ordered Wrestlemania to watch instead of these losers.
17 buckets... Not in the first half, total. Record low with the shot clock. At least they scored more. Ricky Davis is going to have to choke a... Toine got on the lifeboat T-Wolves and everyone laughed... Now the Heat have sunk... Toine fell overboard 'cuz he sucks, but the lifeboat is still a float, 7-5 in their last 12.
That's cause the Wolves suck at tanking.
Just got back from the game, my thoughts:
1..I got excited when they had DQ in the starting line-up on the scoreboard before the game, but then got a little upset when they switched it to Kasib Powell. 2. Chris Quinn is really the work horse of this team, and he is actually real emotional on the floor. Rather then just rolling with the punches like most tanking teams do, he was visually upset with the game. 3. Blake Ahearn received some heckling from some of the Celtic fans in attendence. 4. The C fans LOVE KG, how smokes. The place lost it when he hit the floor. 5. The second biggest reaction from the crowd was when Tony Allen was on a fast break for a gimmie dunk, but chose to go for a lay-up....and missed it! Oh man, the crowd was all over him, lol. 6. DQ and Jwill were the only injured players to actually be there live. Btw, JWills ear rings are bright, I was on the other side of the arena but you could tell when the light hit them as to how bright they were. 7. Mark Blount got booed as if there was no tomorrow. 8. I have to admit, before into's for the Celts, they ran a two minute clip starting out with the Celts way back in the day (Red, Bill Russell, etc), then to Bird, McHale, Ainge, etc and highlighted their greatness. Then, there was a lul in the video, the screen went black and Paul Pierce's face popped up and he yelled, "We're back!" As a basketball fan, that gave me the chills. 9. Something tells me that we'll see Chris Quinn in Miami for another year.
Did you cheer 17 times for the 17 FGs the Heat made today?
I ran into Marion today walking around Sobe in the early afternoon, he looked real injured...and he checked out my girl, lol.
Paul Pierce thinks the Heat team s a bunch of D'Leagers How disrespectful and arrogant of him. Although it is honest
I mean... Should we be upset? He's right.
How dare Paul Pierce call our team of D-Leaguers D-Leaguers!!!!
Is this the first time a team has scored less than 90 points and still won by more than 25 points?
I just have to close with this picture. I just love it. The words "Please don't hurt me" come to mind when I see the look on Blount's face. Just classic!
This game was never in doubt as the Celtics jumped out to a quick lead and never looked back on their way to an 88-62 win. The only suspense was whether or not the Celtics would hold the Heat to an NBA record low in field goals. The record for the fewest field goals in a game was 18. The Celtics held the Heat to a record low 17 field goals for the game. The starters played only 24 or fewer minutes with KG playing only 21.
It is obvious that the Heat are not interested in playing out the rest of the season. Even Pat Riley has jumped ship and is off scouting the NCAA's for his lottery pick. If you don't count Ricky Davis or Mark Blount, the entire active roster for the Heat have a combined 4 years of NBA experience. Ricky Davis played 45 minutes and as he always did for Boston, he played hard and was trying to make plays as he would drive and pass, but no one could make a shot. Ricky finished with 14 points, 6 rebounds, and 7 turn overs. Mark Blount had a typically ineffective game as he had 6 points and 1 rebound in 20 minutes. The most satisfying play of the game was when Perk gave him a hard foul resulting in 2 missed free throws.
It wasn't a pretty game as neither team shot particularly well. The Celtics shot 39% from the field while the Heat shot only 29% from the field. But, in spite of not shooting the ball well, the Celtics still played tough defense with both the starters and the second unit and the intensity going after rebounds, steals and loose balls was incredible as the Celtics had 13 steals and also out-rebounded the Heat 54-31.
Leon Powe continues to impress and was the player of the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds in 27 minutes. Whether Leon gets 2 minutes or 20 minutes you know that he is going to give you all he's got for the entire time. KG brought his usual intensity and finished with 12 points, 8 rebounds and 5 assists in only 21 minutes. Perk had 4 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks and a very satisfying take down of Blount when he ventured into the lane.
Pierce had 10 points, 1 rebound, 4 assists and 2 steals. Ray Allen had 10 points 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal as both played around 24 minutes. Rondo had a good game on both ends of the court as he finished with 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 steal in 24 minutes. Sam Cassell was able to get 18 minutes with both the starters and the second unit and finished with 9 points on 3-8 shooting with 2 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal. Tony Allen also got to play more minutes finishing with 2 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.
James Posey had what may have been the play of the game as he dove out of bounds to save a ball and tumbled twice as he slid from the scorer's table to the middle of the Celtics bench after tapping the ball into Rondo for the save. As he came to a stop and jumped back to his feet in front of KG, Garnett jumped up and slapped Posey on the back side sending him back into the game. Posey won the Tommy Award for his hustle and finished with 7 points, 2 assists and 4 steals. PJ Brown looked good in 11 minutes and had 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block. Big Baby also played 11 minutes and finished with 4 points, 2 rebounds and an assist.
This win brings the Celtics' magic number to 3 for the home court advantage throughout the playoffs. The Celtics now have 9 games left and 6 of those are on the road. Next up is Chicago on the road. The Bulls are 4 games out of the 8th playoff spot and would love to play spoiler for the Celtics while keeping their playoff hopes alive. Unlike the Heat, even though they are out of the playoffs, they haven't thrown in the towel yet and should give the Celtics a better game.
