4:43 PM- Pre-game highlight of Rafer Alston accompanied by the nasal stylings of Avery Johnson. The streetball legend has been a great patch for Orlando in the absence of Jameer Nelson since coming over from Houston earlier this season. Alston has been a favorite player of mine over the years, but I don't necessarily fear him down the stretch of a tight game as I would Nelson. Perhaps it's just the memory of Nelson repeatedly burning the Blazers earlier this year in Portland (capped off by the ridiculous Hedo Turkoglu bank-three at the buzzer) and punishing them for giving him even an inch of space. He shot 1,000 shots a day during the off-season for crying out loud! The Magic are still good with Alston, but I don't see them as an over-the-top team.
5:00(ish)- Tip off. I missed the first two minutes because I was helping Andee move her stuff into the house. Celtics hitting the glass hard in the first few possessions, but are ice cold. Like 0-7 ice cold. Rondo hits transition J for the first Celtic bucket, but the Magic are hot, jumping out to a 10-3 lead. From here on out, all times refer to the game clock, got it?
7:34 1st- KG saves a long pass and finds Ray Allen for a corner 3 in transition, 10-8. But then Alston gets two the other way because Boston was slow getting back, 12-8. Atypical for the Celtics, Van Gundy agrees. After two ticky-tacky offensive fouls in a row (one on Perk and one on Howard), Rafer Alston dishes to Howard for a flush. Perhaps he read what I wrote a minute ago and is out to prove me wrong.
5:16 1st- When it rains, it pours. Rajon Rondo scores on a transition lay-up and is fouled, but goes down hard and appears to have tweaked an ankle. Celtics timeout, and after further review, Howard may have landed on his foot. Rondo looks all right and hits the free-throw to make it 14-13 Magic.
2:49 1st- Dwight Howard is has set up shop in the paint against Glen Davis. Davis did get two quick steals upon entering the game, but two defensive breakdowns as a team have allowed Howard to score easy baskets. 21-15 Orlando, timeout Celtics.
1:38 1st- Orlando's perimeter players are getting dribble penetration too easily, forcing Davis to help off of Howard. Howard is then getting all of the misses (nobody left to box him out) and finishing with ease.
End 1st quarter- Paul Pierce gets a kind roll and hits a fade-away leaving 0.5 seconds left on the clock. The quarter ends with the Magic leading by 4, 25-21. Energy on defense and the glass has been solid. Considering how poorly the Celtics have shot and Orlando's early hot streak, the Celtics should feel good about the score. Must box out Howard and try and contain dribble penetration.
9:34 2nd- Dribble penetration is still a big problem. Mercifully, Howard is on the bench for this stretch, so the Celtics shouldn't suffer too much. Still, it's 31-23 Magic. Marbury has missed two wide open perimeter shots, but I will still be patient. Still, the ball is moving and the Celtics are getting decent looks. Shots just aren't falling.
7:41 2nd- Eddie "the Microwave" House has come off the bench for a few quick baskets and has pulled the Celtics within three, 31-28. As I've said before, I think that House could benefit greatly from Marbury's presence, as he gets to spend less time handling the ball and more time moving to get open on the perimeter. Stan Van Gundy wants to talk it over.
5:31 2nd- Celtics are being typically careless with the basketball. Seven turnovers already, Marbury has two of those (palming and a bad pass in a situation where he should have shot the ball). If there's a reason that the Celtics don't win this year, this is it. It didn't matter last year because they played maniac defense and stormed the league with a once in a lifetime type of intensity. They're a better offensive team this year than they were last year, but they won't win in May or June if they don't take care of the basketball.
2:30 2nd- Celtic shots are still rimming out, but the problem is on the defensive end. Wide open threes from everywhere. Dwight Howard is bothered by Bill Walker, who is playing hard in his limited run. Mark Jackson thinks the Celtics are doing an especially poor job defending the pick & roll, and I agree. Van Gundy comments that it could be because their rotation is out of whack. Whatever the cause, it's not good. Celtics down by 10.
End 2nd- Going into halftime, the Celtics are down by 9. Paul Pierce became the first player to box out Dwight Howard with under a minute to go in the half. He had a double-double in the first quarter and needs to be contained if the Celtics want to win. Some thoughts at the half, shot selection is fine, but turnovers are killing them right now. The good news is that KG looked good when he was playing, and the Celtics are clearly energetic and into this game. Perkins has been aggressive in the early going and has done a satisfactory job against Howard thus far. As always, avoiding foul trouble will be the key for him. The bad news is that Marbury has looked not so good out there and the Magic are getting too many easy shots inside and at the three-point line. I'm interested to see if Boston can make an adjustment at halftime to shore up some of their leaks.
Start of the 3rd- C's open with a missed three in the corner by Allen, but KG gets the offensive rebound and it leads to a nice baby hook finish from Perkins down low. He's developed surprisingly good hands since coming into the league as a youngster. Celtics match an Orlando turnover with one of their own.
8:34 3rd- Paul Pierce and Hedo go at it, with Turkoglu getting the better of the Truth (2 made baskets to 1). Perk gets called for an offensive foul (his 3rd). Orlando stretches the lead back to 12 before Paul Pierce hits two free-throws and makes the score 56-46 Magic.
7:00 3rd- Ray Allen hits a ridiculous free-throw line jumper off the dribble. He arcs it up above the shot clock to get it over Howard, nothing but net. Van Gundy nicknames him "Pure," Breen and Jackson are along for the ride. Boston still can't gain any ground, and they trail 61-50 midway through the third. The Magic defense has been very tight tonight, and the Celtics have lost their offensive rhythm as a result. They aren't out of it by any means, but it will be an uphill battle to be sure.
3:54 3rd- Magic defense is in the passing lanes and has stolen two passes in the last minute. On the other side, the Magic move the ball inside, outside, around the perimeter unimpeded. Orlando is working to get every loose ball and rebound. The stretch culminates with a Dwight Howard 3-point play and a timeout with the score now 66-50. Orlando seems to be determined to put Boston to bed.
2:51 3rd- Paul Pierce gets back to back lay-ups followed by a Big Baby score to cut it to 10. Howard responds, and Davis counters at the 2:00 mark with a jumper off a kick from Rondo. After a Pietrus miss, Paul Pierce probes the defense and keeps his handle under intense pressure, calmly gets to his spot in the paint, head fakes, fades and scores. Pure poetry in motion, and the Celtics have cut the deficit to 68-80 and Orlando takes a timeout.
End of the 3rd- Another finish by Kendrick Perkins cut the Magic lead to 6, but Dwight Howard responds by throwing down a ridiculous alley-oop with seven seconds to go, then blocking Rondo's last second drive to end the quarter with the Magic leading 70-62. Perkins and Big Baby are playing with energy and enthusiasm, but Howard seems determined to dominate the paint tonight. Maybe he read what I wrote about him last night...
Start of the 4th- Paul Pierce hits a jumper after some nice defense at the other end. Deficit at 6. Some more nice D forces an Orlando turnover and a technical foul on Stan Van Gundy. 70-65 Orlando.
9:57 4th- For some reason the Celtic offense is running through Glen Davis and Kendrick Perkins. The result? A turnover, Boston's 15th of the game. Orlando is leading 73-65.
6:41 4th- Ray Allen just back into the game hits another tough mid-range jumper. It's now 75-71 Orlando. I wonder if Boston will have enough in the tank to weather the storm and contain Howard and finish the comeback. SVG counters with his starters and Orlando gradually pushes the lead back to five with three free-throws coming after MIkki Moore fouls Rashard Lewis in the act of shooting from downtown. I shake my head and sigh, thinking about James Posey...
5:26- Responding to the three makes by Rashard Lewis, Pierce makes it look easy will a pull up 18-footer. The ball needs to be in his or Ray Allen's hands down the stretch. As I typed that Pierce threw the ball away for the Celtics' 17th turnover. As I typed that Glen Davis committed number 18 (assist to Ray Allen).
3:29 4th- Ray Allen 3 off of another offensive rebound cuts Orlando's lead to 3. Howard hasn't touched the ball in a while (credit the Celtics' D) as Van Gundy notes, and it seems like it could be anyone's game.
2:18 4th- Glen Davis forces a miss from Howard and grabs his 8th board of the night. Hoawrd is catching the ball a lot farther from the basket than he was early on. Pierce hits another fadeaway and the score is 83-82 Magic. Van Gundy thinks Boston has "out-physicaled" the magic. Timeout on the floor.
1:00 4th- Pierce misses a shot and Howard grabs his 21st rebound. He is a monster. On the other end, Boston forces a miss and gets the ball, down by one with the shot clock off and less than 20 seconds to play. Doc calls timeout, one would think the Celtics would go to Pierce. Pierce isolates and drives hard to the hoop, draws some contact from Howard and misses. Celtics foul, Turkoglu misses a free-throw and the Celtics still have a timeout. Magic lead by two, 84-82.
3.8 seconds 4th- Celtics will inbound the ball here. I'd try and get Pierce the ball (obviously), but have good options available for House and Allen. Celtics have to burn their last timeout after a well defended inbounds play by Orlando. Orlando hacks Pierce with 1.6 left, and the Celtics will have to inbound the ball again. Pierce misses a desperation look, game over.
Orlando played better tonight, and fought harder than the Celtics did for the win. It stings a bit, but in the long run, Boston should focus on getting healthy and in tune once again. Losing tonight may even have a positive effect on the Celtics, as it can serve as a reality check and as an opportunity to learn. When these teams play again, and they will, things will be different on Boston's side of the ball. With a healthy front line, Boston can do a better job on pushing Howard out of the paint and hopefully prevent him from going 20/20 on them again. With a healthy KG, those passing lanes will close and the pick & roll defense will be tighter. As for the experiment of the live-blog, I think it was interesting and partially fruitful. It's probably redundant, dense and scattered in places, but it was a good exercise. There may even be a few profound thought in there as well, you never know.
No comments:
Post a Comment