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RETRIEVING CONTENT...PLEASE WAIT
McDyess or PJ
Saturday, November 8, 2008
by Unknown 6:34 PM
Though Powe and Baby have been playing well (Powe in particular looks ready to be a consistent rotation guy--Baby is not quite there yet), I still have a desire to add more depth to our frontcourt. I've always had it in the back of my mind that when the time arises, we'll be bringing PJ Brown back to the team. But now that McDyess' name is being tossed around, I've entertained the thought of having him on the bench, instead of PJ.
Though McDyess is not a physical player like PJ, he does add more offensive punch. And his athleticism should help defensively against whoever we will face from the Western Conference in the Finals--whether it be Andrew Bynum (or Pau Gasol) of the Lakers, or Tyson Chandler of the Hornets. McDyess athleticism matches up better against those guys.
I'm happy with PJ, if he's the guy we take with us to the playoffs. And I'll be happy also, if McDyess ends up being the guy.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 11/8
Comments from the Other Side - Bucks
by FLCeltsFan 8:31 AM
A lot of the talk on the Bucks boards centered around how poorly their team was playing. But, there may have been a reason that they played that poorly: Celtics' defense. Also, they were pretty upset about the quality of the League Pass feed on the free preview. There was also talk about how different it would be with Redd in the game. Enjoy....
Tough road game.
Tough road game has got to be the understatement of the day
As best I can figure we have 1 and only 1 positional advantage of the Celtics, Bogut vs Perkins. My guess is they try to establish him early and hope it unsettles the Celtics defense somewhat, possibly forcing KG to switch onto him and therefore freeing up CV.
Celtics have been playing hard and are out to prove that last year was no joke. Sadly I see us getting blown out. I hope I am wrong.
RJ usually has big games vs the Celtics, pierce never shuts him down.
Luc Richard Mbah Moute will shut down Ray, Pierce and KG all at the same time.
Without Redd, I just can't see us winning this game in any way, shape, or form.
This is the game where you start Gadzuric over Bogut and have him run around like an idiot. Hopefully he hurts KG and then we capitolize!
If Redd was going to play, the Bucks would be murdered. Since he is not, they will be mutilated, and Glen Davis will devour the remains.
Bogut will need to bring his A game to have an impact in this game. Perkins is an extremely good defensive center, very under-appreciated. He abused Yao the other night, it was painful to watch. He isn't an offensive factor, but Bogut needs to score on him and it isn't that easy.
I don't think Boston has been playing with much intensity, they just turn it on for some stretches, make a run and then start taking jump-shots and making reckless passes. If they play like that, what we have to do to is to survive those moments. Scoring off turnovers will be very important. Also, taking advantage of every minute Rondo and Tony Allen are paired together in the backcourt, none of them can shoot.
Moute makes Kevin Garnett look like Kevin Bacon.
We are putting up a lot of points on the NBA's best defensive team. That is refreshing to see.
Excellent first quarter for the Bucks.
The scary thing is that Pierce hasn't even shown up yet. Hopefully Jefferson/Moute keep him out of the game the whole night.
Boston's been doing this all season. Close game for 2-3 quarters and then exploding to finish it out.
Twice, one Celtic gets a board while surrounded by four Bucks players
I hate Eddie house.
Nice illegal screen by Perkins
That was a good foul on KG. Well done Bogut. Tommy Point!!!
Are these blocks by Perkins all legit? I refuse to believe he has 7 on us
Doesen't help that Stern as usual has the refs all over the bucks, what a joke the officating the NBA is.
Pierce owning us tonight.
Is Bogut the one getting man handled by Perkins or is it the Bucks as a whole?
Luke couldn't drive by Big Baby. Shame
YES!!!!!!! Scalabrine vs Potsie!
Potsie v Ralph malph
LOL at the crowd chanting for Scalabrine to shoot.
There's one player worse than Gadz.
I'm a little upset because it really felt like the Bucks just handed this game to the Celtics with some awful point guard play.
I felt ill watching that fourth quarter and the way we handed it to the Celtics.
I actually was proud of how the Bucks played tonight. In the fourth quarter they blew it and our PG play was pretty bad, but there is no shame in losing to the Celtics. We played very hard and didn't let them push us around.
This would have been a different game is Redd was healthy and I think we played them pretty damn well for three quarters.
unforced errors created a one sided competition. the celtics didn't need to do much to win, they just had to watch us lose.
at the end of the day, we're not beating the celtics in boston no matter how well we play.
IMO Pierce lit us up. He may not have scored a lot but he got into the lane at will and set up heaps of easy buckets.
Why can't Redd do that? Pierce has transformed his game...and has matchless heart and dedication to becoming a better Pro even at this stage in his career.
Why can't Redd do that? He has the same build and athleticsim as Pierce. But it is about the want to and make up of a man as well, not just the skill level.
Championship teams and true contenders especially can turn it up when they have to.
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Player of the Game - Paul Pierce
Friday, November 7, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 10:55 PM
Once again, this team is so balanced that there could be several picks for this award.
Some of the stats:
Kendrick Perkins: 6 points, 8 rebounds, 7 blocked shots, and some incredible defense and hustle. (Perk won the Tommy Award)
Leon Powe: 10 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block and lots of hustle in 19 minutes.
Paul Pierce 18 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists
Pierce came close to a triple double and provided leadership to the second unit as well as the starters.
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Bucks at Celtics in Pictures
Defensive Minded Bucks Visit the Even More Defensive Minded Celtics
by FLCeltsFan 9:11 AM
 AT 
Milwaukee Bucks (3-2) at Boston Celtics (4-1)Friday, November 7
7:30 PM ET
Regular Season Game #6 – Home Game #3
TV: CSN HD, FSN Wisc, NBA LP NBA4
Radio: WEEI, WTMJ
TD Banknorth Garden
The Bucks lead the all time series 88-87 with both teams winning 56 games on their home floors and the Celtics losing 32 to only 31 losses for the Bucks. The Celtics will look to even up the series with a win in this one. The Celtics swept the series last season.
The Bucks force 18.5 turnovers per game which is 5th in the league and they are 6th in the league in scoring off those turnovers with 19.5 per game. The Celtics have been turning the ball over too much and with a team like the Bucks, they are going to have to take better care of the ball or it could come back to bite them.
The Celtics' success as a result of their defensive intensity is catching on in the league. Last season the Bucks were last in defensive FG percentage but so far this season, under their new head coach Scott Skiles, they are playing defense and holding teams to 44.2% shooting in addition to forcing the sixth most turnovers.
Probable Starting matchups
PG: Rajon Rondo vs Luke Ridnour
SG: Ray Allen vs Charlie Bell
SF: Paul Pierce vs Richard Hamilton
PF: Kevin Garnett vs Charlie Villanueva
C: Kendrick Perkins vs Andrew Bogut
Injuries:
Celtics: None
Bucks: Michael Redd (ankle) out
Key Matchups:
 vs 
Paul Pierce 17.8 PPG, 8 RPG, 3.8 APG
Richard Jefferson 18.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 4.4 APG
Paul Pierce and Richard Jefferson have had many battles over the years when RJ was in New Jersey. After some initial unhappiness over the trade, Jefferson is playing very well in Milwaukee and had 32 points 3 rebounds and 9 assists in their last game. Pierce never backs down from a challenge so look for him to get very defensive in this game. This should be a good matchup to watch.
 vs 
Rajon Rondo 8.8 PPG, 6.8 APG, 1.4 SPG
Luke Ridnour 9.7 PPG, 6.7 APG, 1 SPG
Luke Ridnour has settled into his new team and in his last game filled up the stat sheet with 20 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists and 2 steals. He doesn't have the speed that Rondo has, but is able to knock down the open shots. Expect Rondo's defensive skills to be on display in this game as he has to consider Ridnour's offense as well as his passing ability.
Honorable Mention
Kendrick Perkins 7 PPG, 7.4 RPG, 2 BPG
Andrew Bogut 12 PPG, 9.4 RPG, 1.6 BPG
Perk has been playing the best basketball of his career in the past two games. Hopefully that will continue in this game both on the defensive end against Bogut and on the offensive end, making Bogut work on both ends of the court.
Players to Watch
Leon Powe 6'8" 240 lbs PF/C 9.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG, .4 BPG 17.6 min
Luc Mbah a Moute 6'8" 230 lbs SF 8.6 PPG, 5.1 RPG, 1.2 APG 25.2 min
This is an interesting pair of players. Both were second round picks with Mbah a Moute going #37 and Leon going #49. Mbah a Moute has been out playing the Bucks' first round pick so far they are giving him a lot of minutes for a rookie. Leon came along more slowly but is becoming one of the Celtics' key players off the bench and as always, he makes the very most of his minutes.
X-Factor
Home Cooking
The Celtics are back home after a 3 game road trip that started with a double digit loss and ended with 2 decisive wins. The Celtics have been dominant at home and they want to keep it that way. Expect them to come out with energy and feed off the crowd to keep that energy up and hopefully get to see Gino early.
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Fiddlin' and Diddlin' - Daily Links 11/7
Comments from the Other Side - Thunder
Thursday, November 6, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 9:40 AM
The Thunder fans aren't all that chatty. Most boards didn't even have a game thread, but I was able to find a few interesting comments. I think the best one was someone wanting to trade for Scal because he is a good locker room guy.
Let's see if we have any momentum off of our win vs. Minnesota. Boston is hands down the best, so this'll be good for our young team to get this one under their belt. Lots of positives, even if we don't pull out a victory.
Very interesting match ups in this game. Westbrook vs. Rondo, Durant vs. Tough team D.
And not only that, the first 10,000 fans receive a Thunder Fanbana
Game spread:
11/5 8:05 ET Boston -8.5 at Oklahoma City
Can we keep them under the spread?
No
As Kevin Garnett would say: Anything's poooosssssibllllllllllllllee!!!
I'd like to trade damien wilkins for Scalabrine
A trade that would not affect the thunder at all Imo. Wilkins is not getting his minutes so it's ok for him to go somewhere. On the other hand, scal is a good locker room guy for young players.
Veal's contract, however... How many more years on that dog?
Same contract length
Still I don't really see the point... Wilkins is a better player and has already been with the team and the players on it as a somewhat veteran leader... Why would OKC ever think about doing this? Scalabrine is a scrub and Wilkins can be a good locker room guy.
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Celtics at Thunder in Pictures
Player of the Game - Leon Powe
by FLCeltsFan 8:59 AM
There were a lot of candidates for Player of the Game in this one. Here are some of the stats:
Paul Pierce: 20 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal
Ray Allen: 18 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Kevin Garnett: 17 points, 8 rebounds, 2 steals
Kendrick Perkins: 10 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4 blocks
Rajon Rondo: 4 points, 11 assists, 2 steals
Leon Powe: 11 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal
Some impressive stuff there. For the second game in a row, Perk has scored in double figures and blocked 4 shots. Ray Allen has his stroke going again and gave the Celtics energy down the stretch with a huge dunk. Rondo only had 4 points, but he dished out 11 assists. Kevin Garnett put in his best game of the season so far. All very impressive and worthy of POG status.
But, my vote for Player of the Game goes to Leon Powe. The Celtics were down 8 at the end of the first quarter and looked sluggish with no energy. Enter Leon Powe and the energy he brought off the bench was infectious and picked up the whole team. He scored 11 points, pulled down 4 rebounds, dished out one assist and grabbed a steal in just 18 minutes of play. And, without the energy he brought into the game, who knows how it might have ended. So, for turning the tide in this game, Leon is my Player of the Game.
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Thunder Rolled
by Loyalist 12:11 AM
Bos - 96
OkC - 83
[Box Score] [Recap]
It wasn't pretty and it wasn't easy to watch at times, but the C's took out the Thunder in easy fashion. OKC ran out of thunder (pun intended) after a fast 1st quarter start which had them up 29-21.
“We’re the defending champions and I think most people are definitely geared up for us, and we’re getting a strong hit when the game starts,” Allen said. “It’s just a matter of us taking it, absorbing the punches, and then start going on offense.”
 Indeed, the 2nd quarter was a reversal of fortunes for the Thunder as Boston put up 30 points in the quarter to the Thunders 15 for a 51 - 44 halftime Celtics lead. Unfortunately for the Thunder, they would never recover. Pierce scored 20 with Ray Allen adding 18. KG, Pierce, Allen, and Perk all came just short of double doubles. While Rondo chipped in 4 points with 11 assists.
For the Thunder, Durant and Green did their best to close the gap, but Boston was firmly in the lead by as many as 17 points. The game was sloppy for the Thunder and even Boston was loose with Rondo attempting behind the back passes only to turn it over or Tony Allen dribbling the ball off his foot, not once, but twice in as many possessions.
“They came in with better energy than our starters,” Coach Rivers said. “I was worried about this game tonight just because the game last night was so tough and I was worried about us being sluggish. I thought we were, and we got away with it tonight.”
Nevertheless, the C's completed their 2nd back to back with wins vs Houston and Oklahoma. Next game for the C's is Friday vs the Bucks at home in Boston. Then, Sunday they travel to Detroit.
Note to Nick Collison: C's are the defending champs, not the former champs.
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The Green's Post Game Quotes
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
by Loyalist 9:43 AM
Doc Rivers:
“There was a lot of fake trash talk by both teams, And there was great execution by us. With Ray playing the way he did, it takes great execution by all of us to make that happen.”
“When we play badly it can be because of what we do on offense. We’ll turn the ball over, and take the first shot available. But tonight we got a lot of good looks, and I was on the right end of it.”
"Once he gets it going, he's tough to stop," Rivers said of Ray Allen. "It's very difficult to run and chase him around screens. Paul hates doing it in practice. We thought we could get him shots, he just had to make them."
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Player of the Game - Kendrick Perkins
by FLCeltsFan 8:33 AM
Player of the game last night was a tough decision but I have to give it to Perk. His line for the night was 15 points on 7-8 shooting, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. He also only had 2 fouls in almost 35 minutes of playing time. Perk's defense kept the Rockets, and Yao Ming in particular, from getting to the hoop. He intimidated Yao into a 4-14 shooting night for 8 points. Perk also brought out his jumper which was particularly effective last night and gives the Celtics another weapon that teams have to deal with. Perk was playing before many of his friends and family in the crowd and didn't disappoint them.
I said picking the player of the game was a tough choice because Ray Allen also had his best game of the season with 29 points on 11-15 shooting to go with 5 rebounds and 5 assists before fouling out. So, I could have just as easily picked him, but I had to go with Perk because of the way his defense changed the game.
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Comments from the Other Side - Rockets
by FLCeltsFan 8:23 AM
The Celtics got their butts kicked by Indiana so you know they are coming hungry , expecting a great game.
Lets beat some Celtic butt.
Hope we win but I don't think we are ready for this one
Should be a great game. There are similarities ... Battier is close to James Posey. If we kept Steve Novak we'd have our Scal.
At no point last year did Boston play us at full strength. They got Yao alone in the first game..they got McGrady alone in the next.
They get us a full strength tomorrow. They are the champs. We have been bad at home. We'd need to step it up big time. But I don't fear them..they haven't seen us at full strength. I fear LA..maybe a little NO. But not Boston. We can beat Boston...we just need to play better at home.
Brooks goes for 40. Von Wafer goes for 106. Rockets win by 1 (Scalabrine scores 210 by himself).
I expect this to be a war and this is a very important game for both teams. Celtics don't want to start 2-2 and the Rockets know they need to show they can beat the champs.
They never had us at full strength and now they gotta deal with us plus 1... Perkins and Big Baby foul out within the first half.. Yao overpowers KG for more second half. Artest tosses Pierce... Blowout Game!!
I'm confident we can win this game. But we cannot afford to be awful on offense as we have been thus far this season. And we gotta play some TENACIOUS defense. Lets show the Celtics whats up !!!!
Anyoen see KG kick scola on the ground? I hate this ****
Rondo is having his way with Rafer.
Rondo is really annoying me.
Lets hope powe doesn't demolish us like he did last year
The Celtis will regret to get Yao in fouls troubles cause he is going to be fresher at the end of game and it will pay off.
LOL at the refs today, they don't want us to win. 2 3 second calls within 1 minute wow
The Celts are playoff ready....we are working to get there and that is showing tonight.
What kind of flop was that by KG? That was horrible who would fall for that?
KG is just one soft softie.
Allen just owning McGrady.
Artest is slowly reminding me of T-Mac. STOP PULLING UP FOR 3S!!!
it's a 3pt game. Rockets can still win this. This is close game although Yao is not playing well and we are missing battier. If I have to put some numbers here, I would say Celtics are probably playing 80% of their capability while Rockets are around 55%-60%.
Man Perkins just has Yao shook.
Offensively Perkins just has him shook and that's not something you ever want to see. But KG had Pau shook last year so its not like its just Yao.
Holy crap, Perkins is having like, the best game of his life.
Kendrick Perkins is eating Yao for breakfast.
T-mac can't guard Ray Allen for crap....
Does anyone in the league move better than ray Allen without the ball?
"while Kg was standing over there he dropped about an inch of rain" hilarious
The plan is to make Glen Davis shoot more jumpshots.
Yao keeps missing shots that he should be making. I guess that's why they're the best defensive team in the league when they can throw Perkins, Garnett and then have guys like Leon Powe and Glen Davis (They had PJ Brown last year too) to throw at the bigs.
Tony Allen is by far the dumbest player in the NBA.
Can Tony Allen be stupid enough to foul again!?
We have to just forget about the outcome and focus on our upcoming road trip. We'll be scary once we are all healthy and the big 3 starts to mesh. The Celtics just got lucky.
Yeah we are on the rise while the celtics are on the decline. They better be ready for us next game cause they won't win that one.
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Perk Proves More Than Just Defense
by Loyalist 8:20 AM
 I hear and read it all the time. Usually from opposing fans that say Kendrick Perkins is just muscle and is only in games for his Defense. Also, that he is a non-threat from the outside. That he can't score. And it's not all untrue. However, someone should ask Yao Ming how he feels about that. I am sure he had Perk nightmares after last nights game. Big Perk did it on both ends of the court and it was impressive.
The 6'10" 280lbs Perk was Bostons 2nd leading scorer last night pouring in 15 points on 7 of 8 shooting behind Ray Allens team/game high of 29. During one stretch in the 3rd quarter Perk hit three jumpers from about 15 feet out. He didnt just hit the J, they were all net. A punctuation mark came when he threw down a thunderous dunk assisted by Rondo. Perk hit one more jumper and didn't score for the rest of the game.
Perk was also his usual beast self on the defensive end blocking or altering Yao's shot. It was apparent that Ming lost a bunch of confidence as Perk made one defensive stop after another. Yao was so shaken he blew a point blank dunk, rejected by the rim. Kendrick finished the game with 15 points, 7 rebounds (3 offensive), and 4 blocks.
Extra notes: It wasn't all good for Perkins last night who was 1-5 from the charity stripe. FT's are a continuing issue for the big man. He also had 3 turnovers which included 2 during critical possessions in the 4th quarter. Good news is he only had 2 fouls.
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Round 2: Celtics vs Rockets
Monday, November 3, 2008
by FLCeltsFan 10:35 PM
 at 
Boston Celtics (2-1) at Houston Rockets (3-0)
Tuesday, November 4
8:30 PM ET
Game #4, Road Game #2
TV: NBA-TV, RTV, FSN Hou, CSN HD
Radio: WEEI
Toyota Center
When the Celtics and Rockets squared off in the preseason, it got really physical. The Rockets made it clear that they were going to be physical and the Celtics weren't going to be pushed around. In the Celtics' 90-89 win, there were 4 technicals and a lot of elevated tempers. Ron Artest showed why he is one of the dirtiest players in the league when he gave Pierce a hard hit in the neck and he will likely live up to that reputation in this game as well. Surprisingly, Tracy McGrady seemed willing to take on Artest's style and gave a couple of hard hits as well. Bill Walker gave the Celtics a spark in that game and stood up to McGrady and let him know he wouldn't be pushed around. I'd love to see Walker play in this game but since he has been inactive for the first 3 games, it doesn't look like that will happen.
The Celtics lead the all time series between these two teams 83-39. The Celtics swept the series last season for the first time since 1990-91. The most notable win came in Houston where the Celtics ended Houston's 22 game win streak.
The Rockets had a very good team last season and they are deep as evidenced by their ability to withstand some critical injuries and still win. With the addition of Ron Artest and Brent Barry, they are now figured by many to challenge for the title this season. If they can stay healthy, they will definitely be among the favorites to come out of the West. A rematch of the 1986 Finals could be on tap if everything goes as expected for these two teams.
Probable Starting Matchups
Point Guard
Rajon Rondo vs Raefer Alston
Shooting Guard
Ray Allen vs Tracy McGrady
Small Forward
Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest
Power Forward
Kevin Garnett vs Louis Scola
Center
Kendrick Perkins vs Yao Ming
Key Matchups
 vs 
Paul Pierce vs Ron Artest is one of the best matchups in the NBA. Artest will do anything to gain an edge including pulling Pierce's shorts down. When Pierce is on, nobody can stop him so it makes for a very intense matchup between these two.
 vs 
Tracy McGrady is healthy and once again a major weapon for the Rockets, averaging 18 points and almost 6 assists per game. Ray's McGrady isn't known as a defensive stopper though and if Ray Allen can find his shot, he could win this battle of shooters.
Honorable Mention
Kendrick Perkins vs Yao Ming
While no one has the height to match up with Yao, Perk has proved he has the strength to hold him off and bother his shots. Yao is healthy and is averaging over 22 points and 11 rebounds per game. Perk and the Celtics team defense will need to keep Yao from dominating inside.
X-Factor
Road Woes - With their beat down in Indiana, the Celtics have continued their struggles on the road that began in the playoffs last season. Let's hope that the loss in Indy was a wake up call and the Celtics will bring their defense and their passing game to Houston. If not, we may see another ugly game.
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Obie Won...Rebuilding
Sunday, November 2, 2008
by Loyalist 7:55 PM
Obie, Jim O'Brien. I, for one, really like his philosophy and have a lot of respect for the former Celtics coach. He has taken the Pacers along slowly, but purposefully. Obie's way is a rebuilding one. He resigned as C"s coach rather than buy into Ainges win now plan. Sure it paid Boston dividends immediately, but O'Brien appears critical of Danny's decisions.
“Putting (Kevin) Garnett and (Ray) Allen with Paul (Pierce) is the result of Danny collecting enough attractive assets.”
And with the Pacers dominate performance Saturday, you can see he is on to something. Although, its hard to argue with Boston's results, though. Winning a title is still winning a title. The Pacers and Obie have made significant acquisitions of their own. Getting TJ resolves the lingering Jamaal problem, Rasho gives them another big body that can spread the floor and the continued improvement of players like Daniels, Rush, and the maturity of Danny Granger seem to prove Obie can successfully rebuild a young playoff caliber team.
“It never crossed my mind that it would be easier,” O'Brien said before Saturdays victory. “You still have to draft well, develop your players and make the right trades to get there.
Yet, the reality is Boston is still Defending Champs. It was a great opening night for Indiana and its fans at Canseco. But you have to know that the C's clearly had a bad day as much as the Pacers gelled and had a good one. That's not to say Indy got lucky. Just, I don't expect the next meeting between these two teams to be such a lopsided one, but I know now to expect Indy isn't going to bow down to anyone. And we'll have to wait and see if Boston can erase this loss with back to back wins at Houston and Oklahoma this week. Then, return the favor to the Pacers upon their next meeting.
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The Green's Post Game Quotes
by Loyalist 12:07 PM
Doc Rivers:
"We don't have to worry about that streak (last seasons start) anymore. We started off bad. We were bad all game, sloppy plays, missed free throws.
"I don't know if it was them or us, but let's give it to them. They just played so much harder than us and that's rare for us. They really moved the ball, which we didn't do, and that's rare for us.
"One thing we're going to learn is we can't come out flat, because we are going to get every team's best. And, if we come out flat, we are going to get our butts whipped, and that's what happened."
"We just didn't play well, in any aspect of the game. It was amazing, we were down 9, 10, it was a miracle. We didn't deserve to win that game. We weren't going to make a run, the way we were playing, it was just not possible."
Paul Pierce:
"It was a combination of a lot of things," said Pierce "You can't point a finger at one thing - free throw shooting, turnovers, lack of defense. We've got to expect every team's best, especially on the road, their home opener.
"We really got caught up in yelling at the referees, didn't keep our composure. Indiana played well defensively, but we had a lot of looks, they just didn't fall for us. We just have to get in the gym and focus on the next three days. We can't go in to Houston [Tuesday] and play like this."
Ray Allen:
"I just think the crew was looking at that," Ray Allen said. "When you've been around as long as we've been around, the veterans on the squad, you know what certain referees look for a lot of times. They looked for that all night, they called traveling on us all night. It's very rare.
"I've seen the moves Paul [Pierce] or Kevin made all last year and haven't seen that many traveling calls. So, that was just what they were calling."
Rajon Rondo:
"We didn't have the right focus," Celtic guard Rajon Rondo said. "There's no way we should ever get beat by that many points. It's all focus. They don't press, they aren't a press team, to where we should turn the ball over. They are a help defensive team but we didn't make the right play and forced the shot when we should have got a better look."
"We let our guard down. We were down 8, 10, 14 points, and never cut into the lead. We were in that situation a lot of times last year and never let it slip away like that. We never got beat like that since we've been together."
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Need To Worry?
by Loyalist 10:39 AM
There is a lot of talk this morning from critics and fans alike about last nights game between the Pacers and the Celtics. I see a lot of negative discussions on how Boston is not the same team and Indy is "the" turnaround team this year. So, is there any need to worry in Green land? Here's why we shouldn't...
You had to believe that this game might not turn out to be one of the C's better outings. You can take the C's late arrival in Indy at 4 a.m. that night as a sign of things to come. Even Doc, who doesn't make excuses, had to remind the media of how the C's day began.
“We got in late, but we just didn’t play well,” said Doc Rivers. “We didn’t deserve to win that game.”
And in that small Doc quote, there offers another other explanation as to what happened at Canseco Fieldhouse last night...the C's simply did not play well. As one writer put it, you name the stat and the C's were at the bottom. Boston had 35 trips to the line converting just 21 or 60%. They shot 34.6% from the field with Pierce shooting 58.3% (7-12) from the charity stripe, just 20% (3-15) from the field, and 28.6% (2-7) from 3! KG was called for 4 walks (leading the C's with 6 TO's) and Rondo just about tripped over his own feet and fouled TJ Ford on key defensive trips down the floor. Which had him effectively neutralized and relegated to the bench with 4 fouls early in the contest.
Boston combined for a total 24 tunrovers with the Big 3 chipping in 14 of those. To make matters worse, even Eddie House couldn't hit good looks from the 3's, some wide open by his standards, shooting just 10% (1-10) from the field. Ray Allen ended up with 10 points on 40% shooting, but only hit 1 of 2 FT's AND only played just over 26 minutes even though he wasn't in foul trouble.
“That’s the only way you can chalk it up,” Allen said. “We had turnovers. Free throws are something we have to work on. But you give too much confidence to the other team when you play this way.”
If there were any bright spots for the C's in the game, they were KG and Tony Allen who played somewhat decent. At least considering the game the rest of the C's played last night, but to say Indy didn't win as much as the C's lost it, isn't telling the whole story. Jim O'Brien along with Dick Harter seem to have the Pacers running a superb defense and their offense looks good also. They appear to have put together a really young, fast, and talented group of players. Making trades last year that got them TJ Ford, Rasho Nesterovic, and Roy Hibbert (draft) in a trade that sent Jermaine O'Neal to Toronto. Adding those pieces to a nucleus of Danny Granger, Troy Murphy, and Marquis Daniels seems to have turned around a hapless Pacers team. In the end, Obie-ball won out and KG knew it.
“I don’t even know what to call that,” Garnett said. “We just got our (butt) kicked. You can go through all of those points of what we didn’t do well, but that’s what happened. But hand it to Indiana. They’re a better team now. They’re playing much better together now.”
The C's now have a lot to work on. They have another back to back coming up, on the road no less, facing the Rockets and Thunder (Tuesday and Wednesday). The C's must bring their A-game when the visit Houston. They also must go over the Indy game tape to see where they went wrong (as if they don't know) and focus on practicing those points. One area which needs tending is FT's.
“Right now we have to make free throws,” said Doc Rivers. “The problem is that you can’t mock a game situation (in practice) for free throws.” . . .
Regardless of not being able to simulate game situations, practice those FT's they must. They are still the Defending Champs. They still have a chance to repeat. It is very early in the season and one game this early isn't going to determine their future. However, it does show the C's are not the exact same team as last year. I truly feel losing Posey was key to our bench. Still, we have pieces that can and need to step up to fill that void. Otherwise, Danny Ainge has work to do. Hopefully, it won't come down to that.
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Comments from the Other Side - Pacers
by FLCeltsFan 10:02 AM
I have to say, comments from the other boards are more fun to collect when the Celtics are winning. But, the Pacers fans have a right to be proud of their team. They played with heart and the Celtics did not.
Ford is making Rondo and House look silly.
Could Troy Murphy win Defensive Player of the Year? He is outplaying Garnett and so he is making a good case for it.
Rush is so aggressive defensively. He just slapped the ball out of Scalabrine's hands. We're getting so many steals. But then, I could probably slap the ball out of his hands. He isn't exactly an all star.
It would be really good for our attendance if we can defeat the champions in the home opener.
Ford is working Rondo pretty good... 4 fouls
TJ's the reason why Rondo got those 4 fouls...He's playing great defense as well, he's just too quick for anyone to defend him without fouling him which is bad news for the C's because his free-throws are money!...
Granger is an all star. His teeth shattered on the floor and he kept playing. Awesome
Celtics don't look that great. They won't repeat. They'll be lucky to make the playoffs. Pacers will challenge for the east and Celtics will go back where they belong to the lottery.
TJ Ford totally owned this game and nobody on Boston could even contain him. TJ Ford's speed got Rondo in foul trouble and opened up so much space with him on the bench.
Nothing to get too excited about. Celtics in early foul trouble on the end of a back-to-back this early in the season? The Grizzlies could have won this game.
Nothing to be excited about? We just beat the best team in the league. Its not just a win for us. Now teams could start repecting us and we're not the laughing stock of the NBA. Its not just a mere win for us, its much more!
Granger is doing exactly what a player should to ascend to the 'lead by example' mantle.
Hey, we have players that get injured and aren't drama queens. Refreshing. Celtics can't say the same for Pierce the drama queen.
Top ten things overheard on the Celtics team plane after getting blown out by the Pacers.
#10 Man... We knocked his teeth and he still came after us.
#9 You suck.
#8 No, YOU suck!
#7 I thought they were ranked 24th?
#6 Aren't big market stars allowed to travel?
#5 OK, guys, shake it off. At Houston Tuesday! Easy game.
#4 Whats that smell... Oh it's 4-15 Pierce in the bathroom.
#3 Nope...it's the lingering whiff of 4-15 on the court.
#2 That was wicked frustrating. Hey! I saw Larry Bird at the game!
#1 I'm depressed. Let's go join Jamaal at the strip club!
Will the pundits say the Pacers are underestimated, or the Celtics are vulnerable?
It's also amazing that some people think winning one game means the Pacers are going to win it all.
Boston only had three double-digit losses last season on its way to a 66-16 record.
There was no competition tonight.
Did anyone else see the face the ref made when he looked over and saw Danny's shattered chicklets? That was pretty gruesome. No blood, no foul/No teeth, swallow the whistle.
The fact that Boston was on a back to back means nothing. No more excuses for Boston please. Just drop it!!!
For those of you talking about the green jerseys. Isn't it great they spent money to watch the "greenies" get hammered by a team they had already chalked up as a win?
Overheard in the Conseco fieldhouse bathroom after the game. "Hey will they give me the 30% discount on a KG for Granger trade?"
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