Celtics Central

Just wanted to give my favorite podcast guys some recognition.

Listen to it all here….CelticsStuffLive

Justin went solo with past partner on CSL Jim ‘JB’ Metz, as Jon Duke was celebrating the birth of his baby. Congrats to Jon, his wife and new addition.

JB had to leave the show this season due to health problems. He brought us up to date on his successful eye surgery (on both eyes). Glad to hear that it all went so well, JB.

Unfortunately, they were unable to remove that Paul Pierce irritant from his eye, who may be nursing his own less-than-healthy body without public fanfare, and luke warm endorsement of Glen “Big Baby” Davis (Hey, he can’t right all the time). JB always brings an insightful, and well defined point of view.

Justin and JB cover lots of Celtic Nation territory and it’s worth a listen. Throw a few callers in and listener voice mail and e-mail comments in and you have a great show.

How does Mr. Metz feel about Mikki Moore when compared to P.J. Brown? How about Tony Allen versus Bill Walker? Ahhh, you’ve got to listen to find out. You might be surprised.

(Recap delayed due to power outage)

Paul Pierce and Eddie House gave the one-two combo that finally shook the Thunder. Glen Davis finished them off.

Glen Davis got knocked down and was cut. When he returned with 10 stitches, he took it out on the Thunder. Delivering 15 points in the final eight minutes (ten in the final five minutes) Davis knock them down and out.

The Oklahoma City Thunder, a young up and coming team ran with the big dogs for almost three quarters before the Celtics put them away, 103-84.

Pierce and House – Potent Combo
Behind Paul Pierce’s second half assault of 20 points and Eddie House’s clutch shooting (14 points in the half), the Celtics pulled it all together to take back the lead to end the third.

On the strength of two Kevin Durant free throws, Oklahoma City had their biggest lead at eight points at 60-52 with 6:53 left in the third. Pierce scored 6 straight Celtic points to keep Boston close before Eddie House delivered yet another clutch shooting performance. Hitting two threes and scoring nine straight Celtic points, House put the Celtics in front at 67-65. Pierce then added two jumpers to give the Celtics a three point lead going into the final stanza, 71-68.

House and Pierce continued their 1-2 punch into the fourth quarter, until Davis returned and delivered the KO.

From the nine minute mark of the third (52-51 Celtics) until the eight minute mark (80-72 Celtics) of the fourth, Pierce and House scored all 28 Celtics’ points.

Davis Comes Off Canvas For Knock Out
After getting nearly TKO’d in the middle of the third period, Big Baby returned at the 9:42 mark of the 4th, with the gash stitched up in his left upper forehead. He proceeded to deliver a furious knock out ‘flurry’ of points. It was unofficially called his first triple double, 19 points, 10 rebounds and 10 stitches.

What Happened
As Davis grabbed one of the six offensive rebounds he totaled, Kevin Durant’s elbow came across the top of his forehead, sending the nimble big man into a spinning knock down and somersault. Davis came up dripping blood.

Unbeknown at the time, Durant awoke a sleeping giant. After getting sown up in the locker room, Davis returned with what built up to be an offensive explosion. Crushing any hope the Thunder had of staying close, Davis hit on 6 of 7 shots, grabbed 4 rebounds, while adding a neat wrap around ‘tap away’ steal on Russell Westbrook, taken from the Rajon Rondo bag of tricks.

In the first half, Davis dove to floor to save an errant Rondo pass and from the prone position, side armed a great pass over to Rondo who drove underneath and passed to an open Ray Allen for three points.

Even without the point explosion, Davis’ defense has been remarkably good in the past few games. He is moving well and provides a big physical presence without fouling. He seems to be really fitting into the schemes extremely effectively.

Everyone contributed.
Rajon Rondo had 12 assists and 5 rebounds. Perkins added 3 big blocks, big time defense, and 8 rebounds. Mikki Moore tied his season high wih 12 points and grabbed 11 rebounds. Ray Allen kept the Celtics in the game in the first half with 12 points on four three pointers.

Stephon Marbury looked like he is starting to really fit. He played solid defense and even had much taller assignments in Jeff Green and Kevin Durant. He was able to hold his own, while distributing 7 assists in just 21 minutes.

The Celtics had to overcome a young, energetic, fast breaking team with a surprisingly tenacious defense. There were multiple 24 second shot clock calls and far too many shots taken late in the shot clock for the NBA Champions. Even when faced with multiple Celtic passes, the Thunder rotated surprisingly well.

Boston is still in the hunt for the second seed in the East come play-off time. They are in a 5 straight home game stand and it is possible that they could luck out with some help from the Magic. The Magic have games against Cleveland (H), Atlanta (A), and Houston (A) left on their schedule.

Boxscore from Yahoo…

Boston continues to deal with adversity. Somehow, you have to think that this will all pay off later.

They even managed another road win against a team they had trouble beating at home in the play-offs last year.

With Kevin Garnett out again with continuing knee problems, and the team dealing with foul troubles during the game, the short handed Celtics executed their game well. They built a 20 point 4th quarter lead, then held off the Hawks in Atlanta. It was their third straight win this season against the Hawk team that took them to 7 games in the last play-offs.

Surprisingly, even without Kevin Garnett, the Celtics held Atlanta to 93 points and .422 shooting. It was even better than that heading into the 4th quarter, where the Hawks outscored the Celtics 33-22.

In a surprise pregame announcement, Doc said that Garnett will not play and could be shut down for a while again. Final word on that will come soon, he said.

Role Players Rise Up
Starting in Garnett’s place and continuing his improvement, Glen Davis played solid defense on the night, while adding a big block on a driving Joe Johnson. Glen Davis contributed 19 points and 12 rebounds, leading strong support of Ray Allen and Paul Pierce.

Eddie House continued to make shots, adding 12 points in the first half. Stephon Marbury finally broke out of his shooting slump with 11 points and three straight three pointers, while Mikki Moore grabbed 10 rebounds.

Marbury Shines
Everyone played important parts in the win. But, aside from Big Baby’s big game, the most significant contribution was Marbury’s mini-offensive burst. On a night the Celtics were looking for offense, he made two straight threes and finished the first half with yet another off a drive and kick out from Pierce to give the Celtics their biggest lead at that time, 52-42.

Marbury added a tough twisting drive for two more in the second half. This game signals what kind of help Stephon could give going forward.

Allen and Pierce Navigate The Celtics to Win
Ray Allen started the Celtics off with 6 straight points in the first quarter, then added 9 more in the 4th quarter, hitting two big lane jumpers to maintain a 7 point lead, when the Hawks threatened to catch the Celtics as the game wound down. The Hawks closed to within 95-91 on a Joe Johnson three with 1:11 left

From there, Paul Pierce made 4 big free throws in the final 57 seconds to ice the win for a tired team. Paul did not have a good shooting night but added 5 assists and 4 rebounds, in addition to his 21 points.

Kendrick Perkins was saddled with foul trouble all night including a questionable foul call for his 5th foul, regarding throwing his elbows. He managed 9 rebounds in 20 minutes before fouling out with 4:19 left in the game. Shortly after Mikki Mooore had 5 fouls. If he picked up his 6th, Davis would have been the tallest Celtic in uniform.

Play of the Night
Rajon Rondo played with two sore ankles and managed 9 points and 5 assists. He made the play of the night with a fake hand off to Paul Pierce, totally faking the defense, then turning and driving, drawing more defenders, then passing to Davis for a dunk to end the 3rd quarter. It was one of those plays you had to see to believe it.

Next up: The Oklahoma Thunder on Sunday in Boston

It was a playoff atmosphere in the Amway Arena as this game was hugely needed by the Orlando Magic.

The winner would get a leg up in the race for the second seed in the east for the playoffs. Boston would have liked to put pressure on Orlando as well with a win. The Magic took a 16 point lead, then held on for a narrow win.

Boston is now 54-19. Orlando is 53-18 and percentage points up on the Celtics.

Paul Pierce led the Celtics with 26 points, on 10 of 23 shooting, supported by Ray Allen with 16 points, but it was one three point basket short of being enough.

Dwight Howard had a monster 24 point, 21 rebound game and was supported by Rashard Lewis with 21 points. Orlando invested a huge amount of money in signing free agent Lewis last season to do just what he is doing – making life a bit easier for Dwight Howard and making the Magic a contender.

But it was Hedo Turkoglu, who was having a terrible shooting night (3-18), who made what turned out to be the winning foul shots.

There are two ways to look at this loss.

The Celtics almost came back to beat the Magic on their own court with Kevin Garnett playing just 16 minutes, or……with ample opportunities, the Celtics were not able to pull out a winnable game.

Orlando Almost Coughs up the Game
Boston held Orlando to just 14 fourth quarter points. With 6:06 left in the game, a Rashard Lewis three pointer gave his team a 78-71 lead. The Magic did not score from the field again in the game.

They missed seven shots in a row, but went to the line three different times, and made 6 free throws to hold off the closing Celtics. Orlando made just three shots all quarter, going 3 for 18 from the floor, while turning the ball over 4 times.

Celtics Return the Favor
Boston went into ‘Paul Pierce mode’ (making 4 of 9) in the 4th quarter and for a short period it looked like it might work. After having just 7 points at half time, Paul was far more aggressive in the second half and scored 19 points. The Celtics turned the ball over 5 times in the quarter and 18 times for the game. Pierce, Perkins and Rondo each had 4 turnovers on the evening.

After Rashard’s three pointer, Eddie House hit a big running bank shot to make it 78-73. Then Mikki Moore fouled Lewis while shooting a three, and Rashard made all three foul shots. Pierce hits a jumper to draw within 81-75.

But while Rafer Alston is missing consecutive three point attempts, Pierce (his 4th turnover) and Davis turn the ball over on consecutive possessions. Pierce then draws an offensive foul on a driving Alston.

Ray Allen hits a three pointer near the top of the key with 3:30 left on a pass from Rondo, drawing to within 78-81. After Turkoglu makes two fouls shots, Rajon Rondo hits a big floater over the outstretched arms of Dwight Howard along the left baseline to keep it within a three point deficit with 2:46 left.

Howard then misses two hook shots on consecutive possessions around a Pierce miss. Paul makes a jumper to draw within one at 83-82 with 1:27 left in the game.

From there, Pierce would miss three straight shots, getting blocked by Howard with 4 seconds left, and throwing up a three point prayer with 1.8 seconds left.

I went on record recently saying that Pierce should be looking for his shot more in the past few weeks. Well, if he makes just one of those shots, it wins the game with the way Orlando was shooting. But I have to say that the decision making and play making for the end of the game could have been better.

Unusual Notes
The Celtics actually played better, or should I say more successfully, without Garnett tonight, as strange as that may seem. They were minus ten in his sixteen minutes. Unusual, I know. Of course they are not a better team without him.

But they actually out scored, out defended, and out rebounded Orlando in the 4th quarter without him. Who would have thought? After being down by as many as 16 points, the Celtics got within a single point of the lead with 1:27 left to play.

Doc opted to use Eddie House, and not Marbury for the second half. That most likely signals how much Doc wanted this game. Eddie was more familar with the team’s sets. If it means something else, we will soon know.

Summary
Niether team shot well, and neither team really executed well down the stretch, though the Celtics did better than Orlando. If I was Orlando, I wouldn’t be counting this as a confident win. You could say that it was Orlando’s defense helped caused the Celtics’ problems. They seem to never get much credit for being good defenders, but have decent defensive stats and do seem to be effective when they need to be.

Yet, we all know that getting Kevin back full time changes everything. Still, Boston has found it diffucult to win in Orlando for a while, having lost 5 of 6 there.

boxscore

The locker room before games is usually much calmer than after. Maybe that’s for obvious reasons.

Sometimes you get to have a quieter conversation with a player. Sometimes you don’t, and it turns into a mini-press conference with a player holding court when 4 or 5 other reporters will join in.

It’s a bit of a weird dance actually that the reporters and players engage in, if you stand around and observe it happening.

I say that because I haven’t really engaged rookie Bill Walker in conversation much at all this season. Honestly, there wasn’t any ‘official’ information that I wanted to get from him and be the first to share with you. Other writers have done well enough with all the main stuff you’d like to know, I think.

For our more casual readers, Bill Walker is a rookie 6′ 6″ small forward from Kansas State University. He was drafted in the second round (17th pick, 47th overall) by the Washington Wizards and shortly after traded to the Celtics…for cash.

He was famed earlier in his basketball life as the running mate and friend of O.J. Mayo in high school. But Walker was carving out his own reputation as a bonfide NBA prospect along the way. His college running mate at Kansas State was the second pick overall in this past draft, Michael Beasley. With such a big time game, why so low in the draft? Two ACL knee injuries (one in each knee) and two operations is the answer.

Probably due to the success with Leon Powe, another high school stud who had injury issues,(who was top 5 rated in the U.S. according to one source), Danny said, let’s try it again with a guy who had a big time game, a top 20 rating, and ran into injuries and surgery in college.

Speaking of injuries, with all the Celtic players out (particularly Tony Allen), Walker has been getting a bit of regular playing time of late. As he will readily admit, the offensive end of the game has come easier, and less is expected, than on the defensive side of things.

He was at his cubicle and just finished having a bite to eat. I think Stephon Marbury and Ray Allen were ‘holding court’ with most of the media. It was one of those somewhat rare times for a low key conversation.

With the minutes you have been getting lately, what has Doc been telling you to work on?

He’s just been telling me to play hard. Put more of my energy toward the defensive end, because, right now, I don’t have to be a scorer on this team. Just go in and make an impact on the defensive end.

How is it different playing defense here than in college?

It’s a world of difference. There are so many things that you have to be aware of, because…..if one person moves then you have to move in unison. The weak link always gets scored on. Sometimes it’s me.

Would you say that it’s because you’re caught with trying to stay with your man?

No, it’s not knowing where you’re supposed to move to, or you know, but you’re just a step late. It’s in the back of your head, and watching film, it’s getting a little easier to adapt to.

So, ‘it’s basically “helping the helper.”

Exactly.

That is probably the easiest misconception a casual viewer will make when they see an open player score. They will assume it is that man’s main defender who isn’t doing his job. That can be true. But, more often, that man had to go help on another player and someone else didn’t slide over to cover the man left open. That is especially true with the type of defense the Celtics play.

It’s said that Doc spends more time on defense in practice than offense. So what is the hardest thing to learn? Pick and roll defense?

Just the awareness. You have to guard a man and see everything that’s going on. I think that’s the biggest difference between the pro program and the college program.

In college, you can just hug a man and watch. this is more…because of that three seconds that…if somebody pulls over I have to be ready to help. You have to come from so far away, it’s just being aware.

Offensively, are you happy with what you’ve been able to do so far?

(calmly) I just play to my strengths. I’m a slasher, and I can hit mid range jumpers. I don’t do anything that’s out of my (range). The shots I get are within the offense. I’m around the basket.

What are you looking for this year and going forward from here?

Just keep learning from this experience, learning from the veteran guys and (more much animated) win a championship. I want to be part of a championship team.

We are spoiled in Boston right now. How few players, let alone rookies, can say that they’ve played on a championship team. It is a once-in-a-lifetime (make that – hopefully – at least twice) experience. Many players would kill for that chance.

What did you think when you got drafted?

I got drafted by the Wizards. I didn’t know what to think.

Then shortly after you were traded to Boston…

I still didn’t know what to think. You know…you see it (the NBA) on TV, it looks totally different than real life……it’s totally different game. The speed of the game is crazy. There are so many good players out there. You’re kind of nervous at first. Man…..am i good enough? You just got to get out there…

Have you had a moment when you felt like you definitely belonged, or is that moment yet to come?

Uhm…I believed I was always going to be in the NBA..ever since I started playing basketball as a kid. But you know, when you get here, you just realize that guys are so much better than what they look like on TV

.

Paul Pierce……I didn’t know he had all that footwork…you see them score, but you don’t know (the nuances of) how they do it, even the off balance stuff is planned. It’s crazy.

Who, outside of the Celtics has surprised you this year at better/stronger than you thought?

Hmm….I’d say Dwight Howard. I mean, he’s huge. I didn’t think he was that big. Shaq…Shaq’s unfair. (laughs).

How about on the court, someone you would man up against, that you would say, wow, he is really good.

Ummm…..Watching what Kobe did at the Garden. Watching what he did unconsciously. That would probably be the guy.

Again, just seeing it all in real time and seeing how calm he is at all times. Just looks like he’s going through the motions. He makes it look easy in person, (compared to TV). He’s so calm.

Well, we’ll have to give him a pass on the Kobe reference. I wasn’t even sure whether I should print that answer on the East Coast. Hey let’s just call it a rookie mistake. He gets a do-over on a later date, okay?

Bill Walker says the game and players are even better in real life than they appear on TV. Like warnings on mirrors on cars, maybe there should be a sign posted in locker rooms that says – Caution: Players are better than they appear.

That is a lot of humility from a player that you might not expect it from. Bill is not known as a shrinking violet on the court. In fact it might seem strange to hear those quotes from him.

Instead, in hard-nosed physicality, he has already stood his ground and then some with his own team mate Kevin Garnett in pre-season, LeBron James, and Jermaine O’Neal to name a few of the league’s top stars he has rubbed shoulders hard with. As a rookie, he gets under other player’s skin with his absence of timidness.

But in this league, that is a mostly a good thing. And now Bill might be expected to play a bigger role than anyone thought at the beginning of the season, come play-off time. He can put in the hoop. He just has to continue to work and get the pro defense down to where he can be trusted to hold the fort when Paul goes out.

He is now one of those players that is really better than he appears on TV. With as much aggressiveness as the Celtics need, and more humility than one might expect, Bill Walker wants to win a championship. He will get the chance to make that dream come true, and be part of it making it happen.

As Bill says about the game itself, when you see Bill Walker getting all up in someone’s grill on TV, he’s even better than what he looks like on TV.

The Celtics were supposed to win this one easily. They did that, but they had their moments. It was payback time for a road trip ending loss at the hands of the lowly Clippers (now 17-54) back on February 25th.

But things don’t always happen easily when Kevin Garnett isn’t in the game. Doc Rivers said before the game that he will continue to limit Kevin’s minutes. Kevin was 5 for 5 shooting for 12 points in 18 minutes.

What Kevin means to the team: Paul Pierce…

“Just everything we do offensively,defensively. As you can see the last couple of games the way we’re passing the ball, the way we’re defending at a high level, just the communication is there on both ends of the court. It opens up things plus we have such a great chemistry when our starting unit is out there…”

How about Paul himself? With a mini slump scoring of late, perhaps he’s not quite the healthiest either….

“I’m feeling pretty good. I mean, we won three in a row so…it’s alright. If I struggle and we win, I’ll take it.”

After a give back second quarter, the Celtics came out in the second half and took over the game for good. Ray Allen led the Celtic scoring with 20 points (12 in the second half) and Eddie House had a big 4th quarter (8 points) to maintain the starters ‘re-grown’ lead.

After taking a 13 point lead after one quarter with Kevin in the line-up, the Celtics gave it all back and then some in the second period. The Green Team went down by three points with 1:30 left in the half on a Zach Randolph jump shot, ending a Clipper 22-8 run to start the 2nd.

It looked like the Cs might head into half time with a deficit on their own court against the same Clipper team. The Celtics had scored just 5 points with just over 4 minutes left in the quarter. It took two Ray Allen three pointers and two foul shots by Glen Davis to re-take the lead going into half time, 44-42.

The second half was a different story.

The starters shot 12-20 (led by Ray’s 4 for 4 and 9 points) and went up by 13 before handing the bench (plus Ray Allen for 6 minutes) a 10 point fourth quarter lead. This time the bench extended the lead to 21 before calling it a night, winning by 13.

After a career high in the last game, Glen went 1-11 in this game, but was active defensively, with solid D against Zach Randolph in the second half. He hit the floor to corral a loose ball and had 4 steals in the game. A Big Baby steal, behind the back dribble, and pass to House for a three on the ensuing fast break rocked the Garden.

Making life difficult for Eric Gordon (3 for 12 , 5 turnovers), Rajon Rondo had 5 steals of his own, 7 assists and 14 points, 10 of them in the first quarter.

With Glen Davis, Mikki Moore, and Stephon Marbury playing the entire 4th quarter, they held Los Angeles to just 17 points on 5 of 14 shooting, and managed to score 20 themselves, thanks to House’s shooting, a Ray Allen ‘and one’ reverse lay-up, 4 Glen Davis foul shots and a Marbury three pointer with the shot clock running down.

The lead got as big as 21 points, 88-67, with 5:06 left. It was Gino Time with the Celtics up 88-74 with 2:34 left in the game.

Garnett The Encourager

When the Celtics reserves were about to take the court for the fourth quarter, Kevin Garnett sought out Glen Davis and Mikki Moore. He specifically went up to them and had a conversation. Just a bit animated, and putting his arms around both players before the buzzer sounded, you could tell that he was encouraging both bigs.

If one remembers an earlier time out exhortation against Portland, it would appear that the Big Intensity has grown as a leader. While I don’t think that he’ll be applying for Father Flanagan’s position any time soon, Kevin has learned that sometimes it may pay to be The Big Encourager. Kobe Bryant is learning that. Paul Pierce has learned as much.

The result? The Celtics bench grew the lead to 21 points and held on the rest of the way.

The Celtics have a big game coming up on Wednesday against the Orlando Magic. Second seed as at stake and a win here would be a big help towards that.

We knew that Glen Davis did a stand up comedy routine in college. Tonight, he broke out his best impressions….. of the Big Three. As they say, he killed them in Memphis.

The Boston Celtics beat the Memphis Grizzlies, 105-87 with Glen Davis coming off the bench to lead the way with a career high 24 points. Ray Allen, playing with a healing elbow, supported with 20 of his own. Eddie House continued his torrid outside shooting with 15 more, as the bench scored 51 of the team’s total points.

Rajon Rondo chipped in with a typical, unheralded Rondo-esque game of 10 assists, 9 points, and 7 rebounds.

Kevin Garnett started, playing 17 minutes, scoring 10 points, with 4 rebounds, but blocked two shots, anchored the defense, and inspired his mates to a higher level of play.

Kendrick Perkins roamed off Darell Arthur to double other players, scored 9 points, 5 rebounds and added two blocks.

The Celtics’ revitalized defense laid waste a solid effort by Memphis’s own bench star, Hakim Warrick, who led the Grizzlies with 20 points. They held the young, athletic Grizzlies to .393 shooting, in spite of giving up 17 offensive boards.

Glen Davis – Impressionist
When the Grizzlies decide to leave a Boston player open, they pay the price with career games. Leon Powe had 30 points in their last meeting and Glen “Big Baby” Davis followed that up with a back breaking 24 points of his own.

Glen was uber efficient, making 8 of 11 shots, while doing his best KG imitation by knocking down open mid range jumper after mid range jumper. He also said, ‘here’s my KG power dunk’, rim rocking right through 7′ Darko Milicic.

For My Next Act….
Glen did his best Paul Pierce imitation by drawing multiple shooting fouls on a combination of jump shots and drives. Baby had at least three ‘and one’ situations. Then Glen his best Ray Allen impression, as he made the foul shots count, hitting 8 of 9.

After making the game winning shot last night, Glen comes back with his career best in this game.

A long year of growth on the court is starting to pay dividends for Glen and the Celtics. As Davis gets his confidence back in his jump shot, it will be huge come play-off time. We are starting to see some of that. This time it is incorporated into a more stable all around game.

With Leon Powe, Brian Scalabrine and Tony Allen still out, the bench’s contributions were well needed in this game. Only Ray Allen played more than 30 minutes (35:37).

This was a quiet night for Paul Pierce offensively with just 6 points on 2 of 6 shooting, but he had 6 rebounds and 3 assists.

What was a close game at half time slowly turned in the Celtics favor in the third quarter. Ray Allen had 7 points and Garnett and Perkins 6 points each, while Rondo added 4 points with 4 assists in the pivotal 3rd. The Celtics shot a simmering 12 of 19 in the quarter.

While Mikki Moore and Stephon Marbury (4 assists, 3 turnovers) didn’t contribute much statistically, they were part of the bench’s positive impact. Bill Walker had 6 points on 3 of 4 shooting in 10 minutes, including a dunk that drew an awe inspired reaction from the Memphis crowd.

After shooting a solid .514 in the first half, the Grizzlies made just 8 of 23 shots (35%) in the 3rd period, and 6 of 24 (25%) in the 4th. That combined for just 14 of 47 (30%) in the second half. Consequently, the Celtics outscored them 53-39 in the final half to end the game.

Boxscore

Next up: the Clippers in Boston on Monday

13 Long Games – 10 Short Years
It was 13 games since Kevin Garnett last played for the Celtics. It was ten years since he last played with Stephon Marbury.

Return of the Big Intensity
Kevin Garnett returned and so did the lost Celtics’ defense. Though he only played 14 plus minutes, you could see what his presence means to the team’s defensive focus and spirit. Their leader had returned.

After a slow first quarter appearance, Kevin helped spark a 3rd quarter run with 5 of 5 shooting for 10 points, while adding 4 rebounds on the game.

The Celtics had been down as many as 5 rotation players recently, losing four of their last six games. In addition, the Spurs had beaten Boston in Boston behind a key takeaway of an inbounds pass by Manu Ginobili in the waning moments of that game. Perhaps Boston felt that they owed them one. Maybe the basketball gods agreed.

Manu did not play in this contest as he is recovering from injury (stress reaction – right ankle)himself.

Ray Allen, who had also been out with a hyperextended right elbow, did play, demonstrating the importance of this game to the Celtics. He played a gutsy game, finishing with a team high 19 points in almost 40 minutes of play.

Role Players Clutch Under Pressure
The final quarter was tightly played by both sides and the score was knotted five times.
Kendrick Perkins hit a big little jumpshot in the paint to break the fifth and final tie of the quarter at 74-74 tie with 2:11 left in the game.

The score remained unchanged until Davis hit an open jumper from the left side with 5 seconds left in the game. It would turn out to be the game winning jump shot, and came on a feed from a driving Paul Pierce. It made the score 78-74.

Spurs Miss Six Straight Foul Shots
‘Charity stripe’ took on a whole new meaning as the Spurs missed 6 consecutive free throws in the final two minutes. The chances of that happening are about as likely as Ray Allen throwing away an inbounds pass in the final seconds of a game.

In his post game podcap of CelticStuffLive with Jon Duke and myself, Justin Poulin said it right when he said it was ‘Ball Don’t Lie’ time. Micheal Finley, an 80% shooter, missed 2 straight foul shots. Then it looked like Glen Davis drew a charging foul on a driving Parker, only to be called for blocking. Parker, another 80% shooter, missed both of those free throws.

After Rondo missed a jump shot, Parker was fouled by Pierce on a drive and astonishingly, missed both of those, for 6 straight misses by the Spurs.

In the emotion of his match up against Rondo, Tony Parker got confused. He forgot that he was supposed to be the good foul shooter.

Though a well fought defensive struggle, it was quite an entertaining and somewhat chippy game. After a poor shooting (7-23) first quarter, the Celtics shot a respectable 46% for the rest of the game.

Dueling Point Guards
There was the game within the game, as Rajon Rondo and Tony Parker seemed to be sending messages to each other with their aggressive play. Parker was nearly unstoppable in his drives to the hoop, finishing with a game high 25 points on 12 of 23 shooting. He added 8 assists and a Rondo-like 7 rebounds.

Rajon countered with his own style of aggression, making 8 of 19 shots, many of them of drives with high degrees of difficulty, and a few jump shots thrown in. Rondo dished for 12 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals

As Mark Murphy pointed out in a recent column, the two guards have been compared to each other, yet they seem to only have a grudging respect for each other.

Parker seemed uncontainable in the open court, driving by everyone, and Rondo scored over good defense regularly.

Caught up in the moment, it did appear that Rondo forced a few shots in traffic that perhaps he shouldn’t have, reminiscent of a young, dueling Paul Pierce in earlier times.

Kendrick Perkins and Tim Duncan were going at each other pretty hard. Kendrick largely held Tim to 6 of 15 shooting, while adding 10 points of his own. KP blocked 5 shots and was a big defensive cog.

Paul Pierce was not hitting his shot (9 pts. on 3 of 16 shooting, and was blocked 5 times), but led the Celtics in rebounding with 12.

In addition to his big shot at the end, Davis had 7 rebounds and two steals. Mikki Moore added 8 rebounds in 20 minutes and had only one foul.

The Celtics get a well fought and badly needed win over a potential finals foe. More important, they got back Kevin Garnett.

Boxscore