Celts Out-Ugly Magic: Boston 82-Orlando 80

[wfcooper@tiac.com (Bill Cooper)]

	There was certainly nothing Magical about this game, as it
was, perhaps, the game least deserving of an overtime in NBA history.
You can imagine the taunting between the players, "You win the game,
we don't want it: No, you take the game".  Especially in the first
half, it would have been an insult to all the fine amateur players out
there to say it wasn't a professional level of play.  Pitino shook up
the lineup, at the start of the game.  He finally admitted the
obvious, and benched Kenny Anderson for the remainder of the year
(Dana took his place).  He also started Knight and Tabak, along with
Mercer and Walker.

	The new lineup got off to a fast start as the Celts got off to
a quick 10-3 lead.  They managed to dominate the first quarter ( a
hard thing not to do, as the Magic only scored 8 points!).   Even,
though they led 19-8 at the end of the period, it was hard to feel
comfortable, as they should have been leading by 20 or so.

	Neither team was able to score a basket at the start of the
second, until the 11nth possession of the period, when Horace Grant
scored to pull the Magic to within 8 (19-11).  The Celts came back
with a small burst of offensive energy and managed a 7-0 run to push
their lead to a game high 26-11 (7:00 to go in the period).  Finally
Nick Anderson returned to the game, surveyed the carnage, and said to
himself "Hey, I can't do any worse than this playing 1 on 5".  Nick
just started putting up the ball every time he touched it, and scored
the next 9 points in the game (by either team), as the Magic pulled to
within 6 at 26-20.  The Magic, with the lid on the basket finally
removed managed to score 21 points over the last 7:00 of the second
quarter, and pulled to with 2 (34-32) of the Celts at the end of the
quarter.  

	The level of play seemed a little closer to normal in the
second half.   The two clubs traded baskets for most of the quarter,
and with 3:44 to go, the Celts led by 1 (48-47).  Dana got hot, and
led the Celts on a 9-4 run to close out the quarter, with the Celts
leading 57-51.

	For a brief, shining moment, at the start of the 4th, it
looked as though the Celts might grab control of the game as they
built a 61-51 lead.  The Celts managed to maintain that margin for
most of that quarter, and a Barros 3 put them up 70-67, with about
5:00 to play.  Somewhere in the ensuing action, though, Dana seemed to
twist his ankle a bit (at least he was hobbling for the rest of the
game).  Without Barros being able to drive effectively, the Celts
offense pretty much shut down over the last 5:00 of the game (they
only scored 4 more points), and the Magic took advantage to come back
and tie the game with 6.2 seconds to in regulation (a Grant offensive
board).  

	The Celts trailed twice in the overtime (77-76 and 80-79).
The big shot was a Ron Mercer jumper off the dribble with 14.8 seconds
left to give the C's an 81-80 lead.  The Celtics got a free throw from
Edney to make the score 82-80.  Even the C's timekeeper was having a
bad night, as he was corrected by the officials 3 times over the last
1.3 second of the game, and seemed not to realize that the officials
were counting on him to steal as much time for the Celts as possible
(which they would then correct), as he actually cheated the Celts out
of some time after Tyus missed his second free throw.

	Basically, the Magic should have won this game.  They blew it
at the free throw line, where they were 16-29 (Anderson and Outlaw
combined for a 3-14).  That negated a large Magic advantage in free
throws attempted (29-8).  The Celts attempted 14 more shots than the
Magic, as they had an advantage in free throws caused and offensive
rebounds.

Lineups:
Celts: Barros, Mercer, Walker, Knight, Tabak
Magic: Price, Anderson, Outlaw, Grant, Strong

Players:
Barros: Dana had a nice game shooting the ball on threes at 6-9
(that's 18 points on 9 shots in a game, where the other 82 Celtic FGAs
netted them just 58).  Dana played for 48 minutes, scored 26 points,
had 6 assists, 2 steals and 3 turnovers.

Walker: I don't know what was going on with Antoine.  Maybe it was
some of the negative reaction to his big offensive effort against the
Nets.  But he was just not himself in this game.  Of course having
Grant guard him didn't help, but even so.  Toine had 10 points and 9
boards in 41 minutes of playing time.  he shot 5-16 and did not get to
the free throw line 1 time.  I think that he took one shot in the 4th
quarter and the overtime combined.  He basically took all his shots
from 3 point range (0-4) or from underneath the basket where he was
stuffed several times.  Most of the time, this season, when he has had
poor offensive nights, he's tried to compensate by going to the
offensive board, but tonight he had only 1.  He did have 4 steals.

Mercer: Came alive, after a very slow game, in the 4th quarter.  he
scored 14  (in 50 minutes) on 7-17 shooting and had 6 boards and 4
assists.  he couldn't get open for the jumper ( or his teammates
couldn't find him).  any of the outside shots he did try were off
balance or hurried.

Knight: got 31 minutes tonight.  His outside shot was off also, and it
resulted in 3-10 shooting.  he did pull down 9 boards (6 offensive).
Fouled out of the game in the closing second of the OT period.

Minor: also a poor shooting night as he was 2-9, but did ship in with
5 boards.  

DeClercq: scored 9 points on 4-11 shooting (maybe the first double
digit FGA for his career).  he hauled down 11 boards in just 23
minutes.  Late in the 4th, he hit a big, shot, as he took a jumper on
the move, and banked it very hard into the basked.  but I don't think
he was trying bank.

Tabak: I though the decision to start Tabak, was a funny one.  The
Magic basically start 3 power forwards on the front line, so I don't
see what the inclusion of Tabak was supposed to bring.  He did score 6
and pull down 4 boards in 19 minutes.

McCarty: only got 16 minutes, and shot 1-4.  Apparently, the Fox New
England broadcast, had made him the "Spotlight Player of the Game",
which meant that they followed him around with a camera all night.
But he didn't play (which Gorman and Heinsohn found amusing).

Edney: got in the game for 5 minutes, but just couldn't find any space
for his game at all.  Totally ineffective.

Dontae': (Thanks for the spelling correction).  Din't play tonight,
but I was thinking at the end of the second (in which the Celts scored
15 points), that Pitino should put him in and let him bomb.

PopEye: I'm not sure if he's ready to play or not, but Gorman noted
the he has lost 30 lbs. since he joined the Celts.

Coaching: a nightmare for both coaches.  Even though, Dana had a good
game shooting the ball, and certainly gave it everything that he has,
doesn't this game prove that the Celts need another back-up point
guard?  The offensive flow was just non-existent.

The C's are now 35-42.  They play again Sunday night against the
Pacers (a terrible time to schedule the game if you ask me).

Bill Cooper
wfcooper@tiac.com