CBW review: Celtics vs. Phoenix Suns

[snoopy1@xxxxxxx]

Tonight started with a basketball game, and ended with what can civilly 
called an injustice.  To preface this, it's no secret that when there's 
wiggle room in foul calls, I always side with my team.  But I've tried, in 
the course of these reviews, to make clear what happened--quite apart from 
my personal reaction to it.

I'm going to give my normal review of the game, and within that context, 
there'll be an extended description of the events that took place in the 
third quarter--as well as prior and subsequent events that adversely 
affected the integrity of this game.

I'm not a professional journalist, though in the reviews I strive for 
accuracy if not total impartiality.  But if this is an example of what we 
may expect from NBA officials in future games, then maybe we should direct 
our attention--and our money--elsewhere until the NBA cleans up it's act.

The Celtics learned that they would be without the services of Tony Battie 
for this game after kicking a basketball in the direction of the officials 
during last Monday's game against Orlando.  I reamed him out for his 
actions in my review of that game.  Nice to know the NBA is keeping strict 
discipline.  Sometimes.

The Suns came to Boston with a 1-7 road record and had played so 
half-heartedly that when asked what his feelings were at seeing former 
teammate Joe Johnson, Paul Pierce had to think about it and admit he'd 
forgotten that Joe had been traded to Phoenix last season.  Give you an 
idea how scared the C's are of ol' Joe.

In any event, this meant that Vin Baker had reached the moment we were all 
waiting for--to play in the starting lineup.  Coach Jim O'Brien--seemingly 
in direct response to comments on the Celtics lists I'm on--stated he was 
pleased with Baker's improvement, particularly on defense.  The key would 
be if he could keep out of early foul trouble.


First Quarter:

The game began very nicely as Walker proved to have a hot hand by opening 
up a 3-0 lead for the Good Guys, followed quickly by Tony Delk scoring a 
hoop against his old team.  I betcha HE remembered that Joe Johnson was 
coming to town.

The Suns were running quickly but ineffectively, as they were helpless to 
stop Pierce, Walker, and the rest of the C's as they built a lead.  The 
Suns seemed content to shoot outside jumpers.  The C's meanwhile, were 
combining deadly outside shooting with trips into the hoop to seemingly 
score at will.

There was an amusingly ironic defensive stand with 8:36 left, as Vin Baker 
made a nice block on Hardaway, though the rebound came back and Pierce 
tried the same block--getting called for the kind of foul that Baker 
usually gets.  Pierce would be treated like a rookie all night.  The only 
good thing about the Suns many, many trips to the line was that they were 
really rotten shots.

Baker then went and made a nice move to the hoop for two of his own.  He 
was making the kind of moves we've all been waiting to see, and I had a 
good feeling about Vinnie at this point.  About the only thing I didn't 
like is he sometimes drifts too far outside on the offensive side--at least 
compared with the way Battie normally loiters under the hoop.  It sometimes 
leads to getting boxed out on a potential offensive rebound.

The upshot of the first half of the opening quarter was that the Celtics 
were outplaying the Suns at both ends of the floor and when a timeout was 
called with 6:29 to go, the C''s were shooting at an 80% clip and held the 
lead with a score of 20-9.

The rookie Stoudemire was making physical moves and getting veteran calls.

Pierce was crashing the boards early on--including a two handed 
takedown--which was nice to see after the last couple of games.  I hoped it 
would be contagious.

The first real sign of officiating trouble came with 5:01 to go as Baker 
got a nice feed under the hoop from Pierce and was clearly fouled while 
going up for the shot--yet it was called as an out of bounds play.  Then 
Pierce took it in himself and was fouled twice with no call.  The ball came 
out to Walker who's shot bounced into the waiting hands of Baker--who was 
fouled twice more himself as he made the putback.  That's five fouls not 
called on three players on the same possession.

And that was just the beginning.

On the next play, Baker was hacked to the court with no call as Pierce 
eventually recovered the loose ball--then was dropped to the deck by a 
double team just at the foul line.  The refs felt obligated to acknowledge 
that perhaps someone had improperly impeded Pierce's progress.  Not that it 
got any free throws attempted.  The Celtics had to settle for Bruno Sundov 
coming in and getting two rebounds on the play to secure a hoop for the 
Good Guys.

Pierce picked off an "alley-oops" and got sideswiped at halfcourt.  No, no 
free throws.  The Suns took advantage of the largesse to close the 
gap.  Tony Delk got hammered with no call and Pierce literally got run 
over--and guess who was called for a foul?

It was clear--even taking personal bias into account--that the Suns were 
being given considerably more latitude than the Celtics, to the extent that 
they were getting away with progressively harder fouls.

In the meantime, Walker had hit double figures with 10 points in the first, 
which closed out with the Celtics leading 28-22.

The C's shooting percentage dropped in concert with the upswing in 
non-calls to 48% vs. 41% for the Suns.  Boston also held a 14-11 rebounding 
edge.  The three was falling at a 50% clip, 4-8.  All was well so far, 
despite the obvious fact that the C's would catch no breaks on fouls 
tonight, as the Suns benefited from the three extra guys on their 
team.  That was the only reason the lead was in single digits.


Second Quarter:

The quarter opened up with the Suns still taking--and missing--outside 
jumpers.  The C's were picking up more rebounds.  Joe Johnson made his 
presence known by fouling someone pretty quick--must have been a rouse to 
make the Celtics complacent.  :>)  Eric Williams missed one of his free 
throws--of the pitiful few attempts the C's got all game.  Sigh.

Meanwhile, the C's were getting called for reach in fouls.  It's not that 
they were phantom fouls--in this case, Waltah! did foul the guy--but they 
weren't being called both ways.  That resulted in Kedrick Brown making his 
entrance into the game, as Walker hit another shot.

Baker continued to move well, and started drawing fouls.  I don't want to 
say he's playing more "daintily" but he certainly was avoiding the foul 
calls he normally picked up fast.  He even hit both of his free throws 
(YAY!!!!!!!)

Kedrick showed his speed was better than I thought, and that raised my 
hopes that he would be a factor in games before too long.  He had a nice 
rebound and pass to Walker, then a block on the next play.

Then, Baker got called for a phantom foul, prompting Heinsohn to yell "This 
is ridiculous! The Suns are getting every damn break!"  But after a timeout 
Vinnie took it to the hoop for two on the next C's possession.  By this 
time, Baker had 8 points on 3-5 shooting with 2 rebounds.

The Suns continued to have their hands on Pierce to such an extent that he 
should have told them to cool it until the second date.  As half of the 
quarter had passed, the C's maintained their lead at 40-34.

The Celtics showed they could run a fast pass inside for a quick two on 
several possessions.  If Battie had been playing, he'd have had a monster 
night.

Yet the Suns made just enough of their shots--with some official help--that 
the C's couldn't really extend the lead despite solid work.  One of the few 
correct calls came when Baker drew an offensive foul--he must have enjoyed 
being on the other side of that for a change.

Then Bruno stole the ball!  Wow...  on the next play he took a rebound and 
made the outlet pass that led to another easy inside two.  Heinsohn pointed 
out that the Suns never checked the outlet man.

Bruno showed that he's getting the hang of playing inside on defense.  He 
might end up being a really decent player if he does that to Jim O'Brien's 
expectations.

The half came to an end with the Good Guys having extended their lead a bit 
to 56-48.

Cookie Break!

HALFTIME

At this point, despite incompetent officiating, the C's were on top of 
things.  Had the game been called properly to this time, the C's would 
likely have had a double digit lead.  Baker's play was more foul free than 
I'd hoped, and Kedrick adn Bruno had made pointed, if short, contributions.

Both teams had upped their percentage--Boston to 50% and Phoenix to 
44%.  The C's had cooled off from the arc, now at 5-13 while the Suns were 
1-8.  Phoenix had been given a rebounding edge of 24-22 and more 2nd chance 
points with 11-4, also an early Christmas gift.  But they gave in return 
with a 10-6 lead in turnovers.  Boston held a 30-28 edge in paint points 
with the Suns being shown they could do whatever they wanted underneath 
without fear of being called for fouls.

The key would be for the Celtics to try to play smart and open up the floor 
to reduce any chance of fouls being improperly called.  At this point, 
Boston was in control and needed only to keep up the pressure.

cookie break!!


Third Quarter:

The quarter opened as the C's went a bit dry from the field.  This 
coincided as the Suns started hitting some of those outside shots.  The C's 
played good defense and moved the ball well.  They went inside.  The shots 
just didn't go in.  It's that third quarter drought that the C's seem to 
have frequently.

Mike Gorman commented that the Suns had read the scouting report as they 
actually got hold of one of those corner passes to Delk.  Nice to know 
someone was paying attention out there.

But then the game spun totally out of control with 9:14 left in the 
third.  Pierce went in to the hoop on the offensive end, and as he went up, 
arms extended straight up to put the ball in, he was fouled from behind and 
slammed face first into the floor.  He tried to get up, and couldn't.  He 
was in obvious agony.  No foul was called on the defender.  Jim O'Brien 
complained loudly to official Scott Wall and was ejected.  Walker was also 
hit with a technical foul.  and Tony Delk was called for a foul.

Pierce was still on the floor, bleeding.  He had to be gently helped to his 
feet and held up on both side as they took him to the locker room.

The Suns also ended up with possession of the ball as the officials lost 
control of the game.

This turn of events allowed the Suns to close the gap and then take the 
lead.  It helped that Phoenix was literally allowed to take a hop, skip and 
a jump to the hoop for two without a travelling call.  Phoenix had made a 
14-2 run.  With considerable help.

A timeout was called by Boston as people contemplated stuffing the refs 
into the basket.  Tom Heinsohn was literally speechless--no doubt to avoid 
using words frowned on by the FCC.

The C's brought the game to a tie, but several hacks against Tony Delk 
prevented that on the next possession.  He made up for it with a three on 
the next trip.

But the Suns kept pushing it up, and most of the quarter had passed with no 
word on Pierce's condition.

Walker was called for a delay of game for not turning around and picking up 
the ball and handing it to an official--presumably the refs didn't want to 
do ANY part of their job.

But with just under 3 minutes to go, it was reported that Pierce had 
suffered damage to his teeth and nose.  Following a timeout, he was back on 
the Boston bench, to the great relief of Celtics fans everywhere--and, I 
have no doubt, his family.

The score was now tied at 66, and Pierce returned to the court to a 
deserved standing "O".  Eric Williams took a free throw to give Boston a 1 
point lead.

At this point, Baker made a foul--that was called a flagrant foul.  There's 
a word to describe that turn of events--

"Bullshit"

--and sometimes you just have to call it for what it is.

For anyone offended by the profanity, it was an extraordinary situation, 
calling for an extraordinary description.  The "T" free throw was missed at 
least.  But then Shammond was called for the groping foul that no one had 
called on Phoenix all night.

The Celtics, despite good play and hard work, couldn't do more than seesaw 
the lead through the end of the quarter.  The third quarter ended with a 
tie score of 72.


Fourth Quarter:

They opened the fourth with an ironic pregame talk with Pierce about people 
playing him harder this year and how he felt he'd just have to be mentally 
tougher and get back up and play.  At this rate, he might have to start 
carrying a hockey stick and defend himself.

Walker kept working hard to help the C's scoring as Pierce was obviously 
still feeling the effects of the injury.  I'm NOT a doctor, but the way he 
looked as they zoomed in on his face, squinting to see, I wonder if he has 
a concussion.

The C's just couldn't seem to clamp down defensively like they had lately, 
partly due to the "officiating" and partly that they were looking tired 
after having to literally fight their way to the hoop on several occasions.

Pierce showed he could still find the hoop, and Vin Baker came out to 
finish the game.  Eric Williams couldn't find the range from outside late 
in the game.  The C's looked tired, something that hadn't happened in a 
long time.  I think that everything just caught up to them as someone 
figured out how to stop Boston when they played well--try to cripple one 
star and wear the other one out.  And no, I'm not referring to the Phoenix 
Suns.

Shammond missed a wide-open three.  Baker got a tough rebound back out to 
Shammond who missed again.  The Suns no longer needed help to win.  The 
Celtics were running out of gas after a really tough game.  Walker kept 
pushing to keep the C's in the game by hitting shots, but the defense just 
wasn't able to stop the Suns anymore.  They couldn't keep trading baskets, 
it would only be a matter of time before the Suns had a run.  With 4:00 to 
go, Phoenix had a 2 point lead, and then Walker was called for an offensive 
foul--after he was fouled.

That was the last straw, as the Suns stretched the lead to 4--when Pierce 
got hammered AGAIN.  By this time, I don't think he knew what planet he was on.

A clean steal by Walker was called a foul, sending the Suns to the line yet 
again.  The Suns, at this time, went to the line 19 times.  The Celtics 
went for 9 free throws.

With 3 minutes left, the Suns led by 5 points, and were looking to extend, 
which they did.

Vin Baker was surprised to find his offensive rebound mysteriously turned 
into an offensive foul.  So was everyone who saw the replay.  I say 
"surprised" as in--"How did that happen?", not as in "What a shock that it 
was called that way!"

By the time there was less then 90 seconds left in the game, the C's were 
reduced to using the same ploy Orlando had tried a couple of days ago, by 
fouling every possession to gamble that the free throw shooting of the 
suns--which was horrible--would allow the C's a last-ditch attempt to win 
the game.

Walker fouled out of the game, which was probably for the best.  It 
lessened the chances of him hauling off and belting the official.

Phoenix hit just enough to extend their lead despite Boston's best 
efforts.  I must say, it was an impressive early Christmas present from the 
officials.

The game--and the sham--ended with a final score of 103-94.  I hope the 
Suns at least send a thank you card to the refs.


After the game, Coach O'Brien took the high road and didn't comment on the 
refs, saying instead that the C's were outplayed.  I don't often disagree 
with him, but the phrase is "The Celtics were taken for a ride by the 
refs."  I would give two cookies to have a tape of O'Brien's comments in 
the "Cs locker room between the time he was ejected and the postgame 
conference.

I want to emphasize that I don't blame the Suns for this--they simply took 
advantage of what was handed them on a silver platter by three very helpful 
refs.  Though they should be embarrassed to refer to this as a "win", 
instead of a "gift".

HEROES AND ZEROES:

Heroes:

Paul Pierce: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 steals and an assist.  Plus coming 
back after having his face slammed into the floor with nothing from the 
refs but their expressed wish for a "Merry Christmas" made to the Celtics 
bench.  Good thing Red is in D.C. these days, or he'd have slam dunked his 
cane down Scott Wall's throat.

Antoine Walker: 31 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal.  Plus great 
restraint in not tying the refs arms into a knot.

Vin Baker: 8 points, 8 rebounds, and a block while doing his best against 
horrendous officiating.

Tony Delk: 18 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists and a steal.

Jim O'Brien:  For not making it worth getting tossed by levelling Scott 
Wall with a haymaker.  Obie's a class act.

Tom Heinsohn:  For his superhuman effort not to tell everybody watching TV 
exactly what he thought of the refs in this game.  Some comments just 
aren't appropriate for everyone to hear.


Zeros:

Sean Corbin:  for poor officiating

Ken Maurer:  for really poor officiating

and Scott Wall:  Where's the guy who tried to throttle the ref back in the 
76 playoffs against Phoenix?  We need to introduce him to Scott.

The Phoenix Suns free throw shooting:  The officials give you a gift of 33 
free throws to the Celtics 9 and you only make 22.  That's not treating 
your presents nicely.

The Celtics must get it back together again for Friday's game against 
Cleveland...

...or will that matter, Mr. Stern?

That's the view from the doghouse.

Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the Celtics Beagle Website at
http://users.mfi.net/fluteaphrael/celticsbeagle/celtics.html