CBW review : Playoff Game 2 vs. the Pacers

[Snoopy the Celtics Beagle <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Bleah to NBAtv, Cox Cable, and anyone involved in making it
impossible for me to watch this game.

That said, the Cs were looking to keep the momentum rolling after their
game one finish, while the Pacers
were trying very hard not to look like complete idiots.  The questions were
simple.  Could Indiana use
their size and depth to overcome the Celticsand their own coachs
shortcomings?  Or would the Cs find
more firepower to compliment Walker and Pierce?  Would Pierce overcome his
cold to find the fourth
quarter form of last Saturday, or be the guy who shot badly through the
first three quarters?

Basically, who would execute better?  The talking and prognostications were
done with.  If the Celtics
won this game, no one could call it luck.  If the Pacers wanted to regain
respect, they had to win
respectably, meaning they had to appear in total control for 48 minutes.  A
close game would only add
fuel to the fires lit beneath Isiah Thomas metaphorical feet.  People had
begun to seriously question
whether the Pacers had what it would take to make a playoff run.  The
Celtics, on the other paw, had
only to show they could keep up, though theylike myselfwanted more.  To
win, for the second game in
a row, in the Pacers place, and go to Boston up 2-0.  Then some of the
naysayers might reconsider their
rashness.


First Quarter:

ONeal took the jump over Battie, but missed his first shot.  Pierce took
the rebound and got it to Tony
Delk, whose jumper also missed, with Jermaine ONeal taking that
rebound.  The teams traded a couple
more misses before Ron Artest drove to the hoop for two, only to have Tony
Delk get the ball out to
Pierce for a Jumper to tie the score.

Brad Miller made a shot, and then fouled Eric Williams, who made both at
the line, no doubt inspired by
Paul Pierce.  The teams traded some more quick misses before ONeal slammed
the ball through the hoop.
Williams tried to answer, but got stuffed by Ron Artest.  Tinsley shot and
made the games first three,
then Pierce lost the ball on a steal, resulting in a layup for Artest.  The
teams traded misses and
rebounds until ONeal hit a turnaround jump shot, occasioning the first
timeout by Boston with 7:20 left
in the quarter, and Indiana having jumped out to a 13-4 lead.

After the timeout, Walker rebounded an Eric Williams miss for two.  Reggie
Miller announced his
presence with a deep two, and Pierce was stripped of the ball
again.  Miller turned that into a dunk.
Antoine hit another of those fade away hooks, but Eric Williams sent Miller
to the free throw line,
where both were made.

After Tony Batties jumper missed, ONeal went inside again and got two
more.  Then it was Walkers
turn to give the ball away on a traveling violation, after which they were
hit with a delay of game
warning.  Miller fired up the ball to ONeal for an alley-oop for two more,
before Boston called time
with 4:43 left and the Pacer lead now bulging out to 23-8.  It was starting
to look like a really, really
long night for Celtics fans.

Following the timeout, Williams, Delk, and Battie were replaced by McCarty,
Bremer, and Blount, in the
hopes that one of them might a) remember how to stop ONeal, and b)
remember where the basket was.
Bremer got into the swing of things by committing a quick foul.  Ron Artest
hit a jumper, and while
Pierce held on to the ball this time, it didnt do him any good as he
missed.  The teams traded possessions
once more with no change in scoring until Blount was called for illegal
defense and Indiana hit the
technical.

Waltah made himself instantly lovable by stuffing Ron Artests shot.  I
LOVE WALTAH!!  Pierce then
hit a jumper, stole the ball from Miller on the next possession and got a
layup, and made the free throw.
Thats fast work.  Pierce also answered Tinsleys jumper with a finger
roll.  Waltah hit a three, then
Bremer stole the ball from Artest, passed to Pierce, who got it to Walker
for three more.  ONeal and
Waltah traded jumpers, but the Pacers closed out the quarter with a dunk
from ONeal to give Indiana a
33-24 lead.

The shooting for Boston in the first quarter wasnt bad, 9-20 at
45.0%.  The problem was, the Pacers
were 14-22 for 63.6%.  The threes were about even, as the Cs went 3-8 for
37.5%, and Indiana was
2-4 and 50.0%.  Both teams were, to this time, perfect at the line, with
3-3 each.  The Pacers had the
edge in
fast break points, 8-6; as well as paint points, 16-10.; and rebounds,
10-9.  Boston did get the turnover
edge, 4-2.

Statistically, the quarter wasnt as close as it played, as the Pacers came
out blistering hot, and the Cs
werent able to stem the tide as Indiana had a large double-digit
lead.  What gave me hope was that the
Good Guys came back and made it look more respectable, but it appeared that
Pierce was still suffering
the effects of that cold.

Second Quarter:

Al Harrington opened up the quarter by committing a foul.  Pierce missed
his first free throw in two
games by going 1-1 at the line, making the second.  Blount then committed a
foul going the other way.
Justice prevailed as ONeal also went 1-2.  Artest and Strickland replaced
Miller and Tinsley, while
Battie replaced Blount.

Antoine stole the ball from Artest, but missed the layup.  Waltah was there
to convert for two plus the
free throw as Artest fouled him.  Then Bremer got called for his second
foul, bringing Delk back in.
Strickland made both, and Pierce was unable to answer as Indiana rebounded
his miss.

The Pacers crashed the boards and got ONeal another basket.  Antoine
replied with a three.  The teams
traded a couple of misses until Delk hit a deep two, and the Pacers turned
the ball over on an offensive
foul.  That led to an official timeout with 8:25 left in the half and the
Pacers lead cut down to 38-33.

Ron Mercer came in for Harrington, and Eric Williams gave Waltah a rest as
play continued.  Mercer hit
a deep two, and Walker was called for an offensive foul as he tried to
answer.  The Bat-Man then
stuffed ONeal, and the Cs crashed the offensive boards, but couldnt drop
the ball in.  Tony Battie then
got called for a foul, sending Croshere to the line.  He hit both.  The
teams traded possessions before
Battie hit a hook shot.  Then the teams went back to not making shots, as
everyone took quick jumpers.
Finally, with 4:48 left, Indiana called timeout with the score now 42-35.

Following the timeout, Delks two made free throws were matched by Reggie
Millers layup.    Walker
had sat in favor of Grant Long and Strickland sat for Miller.  48 seconds
later, Walker was back in, and
Waltah replaced Battie.  Antoine sent Artest to the line, where he went
1-2.  Walker made up for it by
feeding the ball to Williams for a layup.  Then Pierce got the ball out to
Waltah, who made the three,
making Indiana take a 20-second timeout with 2:49 left as the lead had
dwindled to a mere three points,
or as they Cs say, one possession.

After the quick timeout, Boston called a regular timeout, so everyone had a
chance to catch their breath
before the final run of the half.  Tinsley came in for Miller, and play
continued.  Tony Delk picked up
his second defensive rebound and got it to Walker, who missed the
shot.  Tinsley hit a reverse layup, and
Waltahs attempt to answer was stopped by ONeal.  Ron Artest made it a
three point conversion.
Boston called a 20-second timeout with 1:22 left and sent Williams in for
Blount with the score now
50-42.

Delk hit a deep two off a feed from Pierce.  Then Boston crashed the
offensive boards to get Waltah a
layup.  Unfortunately, Waltah committed a foul going the other way and
Miller responded with two made
free throws.  Walker hit a running jumper, then ONeal answered with a
layup with time running out.
The Pacers were able to force a 5 second violation on Blount, who then
stole it back as the half ended.
The Pacers held the lead at 54-48.

Things improved from the field, as by this time, the Cs were 18-43 for
41.9%, and the Pacers came back
to earth a bit, going 20-42 for 47.6%.  Boston was slightly ahead on
threes, having hit 5-12 for 41.7% as
the Pacers were 3-10 for 30.0%, as they obviously went inside more.  The
Pacers were building a lead in
free throws, 11-13 for 84.6%, whilst the Cs were 7-8 for
87.5%.  Amazingly, the Cs held the edge in
fast break points, 12-11, while the Pacers had a lead in paint points,
24-18, that nullified the fast
break.  Indiana held a 23-22 rebounding edge, while the Cs had a 6-5 lead
in turnovers.

Halftime

Cookie Break!!

I thought the first quarter would kill me, as the Pacers looked to run up
the score.  Then the fearless
Celtics dug in and held on in the second, making a game of it.  The stats
werent all that bad by halftime,
as the Celtics made up a LOT of ground in the second quarter.  But the
adjustments still needed to be
made.  The most glaring defensive problem remained Jermaine ONeal, though
he seemed to get at least
somewhat impeded in the second quarter.  Offensively, the Cs needed more
help.  Pierce and Walker
were 9-19, and the rest of the team was 9-24.  If Waltah wasnt shooting as
well as he was, it would be a
lot worse.  In the second half, the Cs would absolutely HAVE to have more
scoring, either from Pierce or
the rest of the team.  I figured at 5-10 and 2-2 from the arc, Walker was
doing his part already.

So I reasoned a six-point deficit at halftime wasnt so badprovided the
Cs came out on fire in the
third and held on in the fourth.  I thought that if the Cs could build and
hold a lead, it would demoralize
the Pacers.  Lets face it, theyd obviously tried to bury the Good Guys
from the opening minutes, and it
hadnt worked.  Now it was going to be a close game, and the Cs had built
some momentum.  Boston had
their opening.  The question was, could they make it work?

Cookie Break!!

Third Quarter:

Battie opened up the second half scoring off and assist from Eric
Williams.  Miller responded with a
deep two.  Then the teams stole the ball from each other on consecutive
possessions.  Then Pierce got the
ball to Battie on the alley-oop dunk.  Indiana called timeout with 7:39
left.   The score was now 56-52,
Pacers lead.

Following the timeout, Battie got another defensive rebound.  Pierces
three was answered by Millers
two.  Pierce then went 1-2 at the line.  Then Williams and Battie got
called for fouls in quick order.
Williams was called again, and Artest went to the line, going 1-2, with
Battie rebounding the miss and
scoring at the other end.  Miller got it back at the other end, plus a free
throw as Pierce was called on
the way.  The teams traded misses, until Miller hit another layup.  With
3:04 left in the quarter, Boston
called timeout as Indiana maintained the lead at 64-58.

When play went back in, Pierce had been called for a technical foul (reason
unknown, I dont get NBAtv,
remember?)  Miller hit the free throw, and then Walker hit a shot for three
at the other end.  Indiana
called timeout with 2:11 left in the third, and the score 65-61.

With time back in, Tinsley hit a three, then Artest stuffed Pierce at the
other end.  Battie took the
rebound from Artests block and Walker picked up his third foul sending
Miller back to the line.
Blount, McCarty, and Bremer replaced Battie, Williams and Delk.  The teams
traded possessions before
Bremer hit a reverse layup and a jump shot on successive possessions to
close out the third quarter.
Indiana still led, 70-65.

Bostons woes from the field were worse, as they went 25-64 for 39.1%,
while the Pacers kept up at
their end, going 25-56 for 44.6%.  The threes helped the Good Guys somewhat
as they shot 7-19 for
36.8%, and the Pacers were only 4-14 for 28.6%.  But the Pacers didnt need
the three.  Not when they
were 16-19 at the line for 84.2%, as Boston was 8-10 for 80%.  The Pacers
also held a 14-12 edge in
fast break points, a 28-22 edge in paint points, and a 34-32 edge in
rebounding.  At least, the Cs let
Indiana have more turnovers, 10-8.

Fourth Quarter:

The teams went right at each other to open the quarter, with Pierce
rebounding Artests miss.  Then
Walker and Artest traded layups.  Pierce picked up his second foul, sending
ONeal to the free throw
line.  He made both, and then Waltah made a reverse layup at the other
end.  Croshere replied with a
deep two.  Then, Pierce picked up his third foul as timeout was called with
8:42 left in the game.
Indiana led 76-69.

Following the timeout, Bremer came in for Delk as ONeal hit both free
throws.  He then rebounded the
Delk miss at the other end.  Boston had several more chances to score
before Harrington stole the ball
from Pierce.  Indiana called Timeout with 7:42left as they maintained their
78-69 lead.

Williams came in for Battie, and Miller for Harrington.  Eric made himself
useful by stealing the ball
from Miller, but the Cs werent able to convert.  Then Tinsley hit another
jumper.  Delk went to the line
on the next possession, making 1-2, as ONeal took the rebound on the
miss.  Delk and ONeal then traded
shots.  Then Croshere blocked Waltahs jumper, and Tinsley sent Delk to the
line.  Tony made both, and
play continued.

Miller then nailed a three, and the Cs called timeout with 3:03 left and
the Pacer lead now 86-74.

After the timeout, Croshere sent Antoine to the line, where he made
both.  The teams traded possessions
down to the two-minute mark as Walker picked up his fourth and fifth
fouls.  Croshere hit a layup and
then Walker and ONeal were hit with double technicals.  Tinsley hit two
from the line on a Delk foul,
and went 1-2 as Walker took the rebound with one minute left.  Delk and
Artest traded steals, with no
one able to score for either team.  Delk finally went to the line, making
1-2 to close out the game as
Indiana won it, 89-77.

At the end, the Cs just werent quite as good as the Pacers, going 28-78
for 35.9%, while the Pacers
were 31-73 for 42.5% from the field.  Boston was 7-26 from the arc for
26.9%, the Pacers went 6-21
for 28.6%.
Free throws also went Indianas way, 21-25 for 84%, while Boston was 14-18
for 77.8%.   Boston had a
16-14 lead in fast break points, but Indiana had a 34-28 edge in paint
points, and a 48-42 rebounding
edge.  Indiana ended up with 13 turnovers to Bostons 11.

The difference was, simply, in the scoring, especially inside.  The Pacers
put five people in double
figures and ran the court at every opportunity.  They also had more trips
to the line and made the most
of them.  This was, unfortunately, the kind of game Indiana wanted to play,
and they played it well.

Boston got caught out at the start, and never quite recovered from the
Pacers opening salvo from the
field.  The Celtics took more shots, but didnt make enough of them to
matter in the end.  Despite the
withering opening quarter, the Celtics had their chances to win this one,
and missed the opportunity to go
up 2-1 coming back to Boston.

Now, the Good Guys will travel home to await the next game, which, I remind
everyone, has a ridiculous
6:00pm start on a Thursday night.  Thanks a lot, TNT.  :>(

And thats the view from the doghouse.


Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website