Re: CBW review, 2003-04 game2, C's vs. Memphis Grizzlies

["Dan Forant" <dforant1@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Good wrap up even though it's a little late. No tip this week:-) I like
Hubie Brown, he's demonstrative and fun to watch along with being a good
solid coach. And at 72 no less.

DanF


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Snoopy the Celtics Beagle" <snoopy@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
To: <Celtics@xxxxxxxx>; <Celticsstuffgroup@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Saturday, November 01, 2003 5:58 PM
Subject: CBW review, 2003-04 game2, C's vs. Memphis Grizzlies


> 2003-04 season Game 02: Celtics vs. Memphis Grizzlies  Friday, Oct 31,
2003
>
> Ok, let's flash back--rather painfully, I admit--to Halloween one year
> ago.  The C's played the Washington Wizards and lost, 114-69.
>
> So, despite my festive Halloween costume tonight, you can understand my
> nervousness as the C's put their newfound offense on the line against the
> Memphis Grizzlies exactly one year later.
>
> Another cruel trick, or an unexpected treat?
>
> I won't make you panic, the Good Guys did win, but what a nerve-wracking
> way to get there.
>
> First off, I have a bone to pick with Memphis Coach Hubie Brown.  Remember
> when he worked at TNT, and he used to loudly--and continuously--complain
> about how terrible it was that the C's shot so many threes?
>
> Tonight, per the box score record on threes:  Boston, 3-13 for 23%;
> Memphis, 6-26 for 23%.  That's right, people.  Hubie's team shot twice as
> many threes as Boston, hitting an identical percentage.  Kinda makes ol'
> Hubie look like an idiot, which is cool with me.
>
> Ok, let's get with the game.
>
>
> First Quarter:
>
> Just before the game, Mike Gorman interviewed Mike James, known as "The
> Amityville Horror" (his hometown is Amityville, NY)--who wears #13 to
> boot.  James said his focus was on increasing his consistency.  He also
> indicated he needed to control the offense and the tempo more.
>
> Boston's starters were Vin Baker and Kedrick Brown at Forward, Mike James
> and Paul Pierce at Guard, and Mark Blount at Center.  The Grizz went with
a
> stating group of Pau Gason and James Posey at Forward, Mike Miller and
> Jason Williams at Guard, and Stromile Swift at Center.
>
> FSNE still needs to work on showing the action properly--they were still
> showing the injury report while the tipoff was taking place, and we barely
> got back to the action in time to see Pierce rip down the rebound after
the
> Grizz missed their first shot attempt, then make the long outlet pass to
> Kedrick Brown for an easy two to give the C's first blood of the game at
> 2-zip.  Tom Heinsohn was chanting "Run, Run Run, off the Rebounds!"  I
> half-expected him to follow it up with "Move, Move, Move, toward the
Hoop!"
>
> Anyway...Kedrick committed a reach-in foul at the other end as Memphis
> converted 1-2 at the line.  The first of a number of--dare I say
it--spooky
> plays happened as the inbound pass went by the intended recipient's feet
> and back out of bounds.  It happened so fast, I simply couldn't tell who
> tried to catch it.
>
> Mark Blount started early crashing the boards.  Kedrick tried to outdo
> Gasol to the rebound, but the refs made one of their eerie calls tonight
> and Memphis kept possession of the pumpkin.  Pierce got another rebound,
> but was stripped from behind as he crossed halfcourt.  The C's kept
> possession and James tried an up and under move  that just missed the
hoop.
> Blount picked up a foul on a block.  Miller converted and the Grizz now
had
> a 4-2 lead.
>
> At this juncture, the Grizzlies undertook full court pressure to slow the
> C's down.  It was paying off quickly, ad the C's often had trouble getting
> it over halfcourt in time.  Blount kept up his work on the boards, and had
> a very physically demanding night.
>
> Vin Baker was also hard at work, and made a nice spin move toward the hoop
> that just brushed off the front of the rim.  Vin likes that spin and shoot
> move, but sooner or later, people are going to start defending that
> better.  Not tonight, but sooner....or later.
>
> Incidentally, that's one thing that really impresses me.  Vin generally
> takes high-percentage shots.  He rarely shoots unless he gets a good
> look.  He also makes solid outlet passes--in some cases, better than our
> Point Guards do.  I just wish he shot free throws better.
>
> Blount made a nice defensive move, pressuring his man from behind, then
> stepping back to let the guy fall down and lose the ball.  This resulted
in
> a fast break to the hoop ending with Pierce putting the ball in with a
> flourish.
>
> But the Grizz were running as hard as the C's, and sometimes to better
> effect.  The score, with 9 minutes left, was tied at 4.  Baker committed a
> turnover as he passed to someone who wasn't there!  Actually, he was
firing
> an outlet pass to Mike James, who inexplicably stopped in his tracks as
the
> ball flew past him.
>
> Pierce then committed a turnover as he got stripped while trying to
dribble
> around Pau Gasol.  The Grizz obviously planned to overplay the passing
> lanes and harass Pierce.  So far, it was working quite well.  Baker one
> more went under the hoop and up for a shot, but got stuffed.  He tried to
> bring down the rebound, but got stripped.  This would constitute the low
> point--literally--of Baker's offense tonight.
>
> Kedrick got a fast break basket off a Grizzly miss at the other end.  But
> fouls were a plague on the C's early as the C's got called and the Grizz
> often did not.  Even when the C's went to the line, the missed
> frequently.  Please, guys--I beg you, work on your free throws!!
>
> Next time up, Vin took a pass and went zipping down the middle of the lane
> for two.  The Grizzlies were shooting better--6-13, and keeping ahead of
> the Good Guys.   Pierce took yet another foul--not called, but he gets
> credit for not complaining--and got the ball to Baker, who spun past his
> man near the arc, and swept in from the side for a layup.  Then at the
> other end, he rebounded a Memphis miss and got it quickly to James, who
fed
> Pierce for two more.  Time was called with 4:55 left in the quarter and
the
> Grizz leading 17-14.
>
> Following the timeout, Raef LaFrentz and Eric Williams came into the
> game.  Raef tried to get the ball into Eric Williams, but Eric's defender
> tried to put his hand through Eric's lower back, and the foul was
> surprisingly called.  James was distributing the ball well, but Raef's
shot
> clanked off the rim.
>
> Eric also was active on the defensive end, nearly stealing the ball.
James
> made a nice play when Bo Outlaw nearly stole the outlet pass. He gently
> bumped Outlaw out of bounds.  Tom Heinsohn asserted that the C's needed to
> take better care of the outlet pass, as other teams were now aware that
> Boston intended to use it.  He was definitely right where Memphis was
> concerned.  The Grizz were definitely overplaying the passing lanes.
>
> Marcus Banks came in as James picked up another foul, marking his first
> action against the team that initially drafted him before trading him
> (along with Kendrick Perkins) to Boston in return for Troy Bell and
Dahntay
> Jones on draft night last Summer.
>
> Eric Williams made another nice pass to Battie for a jumper.  The passing
> game does seem to be contagious with the C's this year.  Then Battie
nearly
> picked the pumpkin off at the other end.
>
> Then Waltah! made himself more lovable by getting the ball into
> Eric.  Williams went down the middle for two and the foul.  Eric's free
> throw attempt was interrupted by Coach O'Brien picking up a technical foul
> for pointedly observing to the officials that they were missing a few
> calls.  The assistant coaches kept Obie from giving vent to another
comment
> or two.  Following a successful "T" by Memphis,Eric missed his free
> throw.  *sigh*  With 2:33 left in the first, Memphis held a 23-18 lead as
> timeout was called.
>
> When play came back in, Tommy declared that the C's would "have to gut
this
> one out--they're not gonna get the breaks!"  as if this was somehow not
> predestined.
>
> Memphis nearly scored on a broken play and Banks remarkably went to the
> line, missing both.  All the C's crashed the boards on the next play,
> resulting in Banks making another trip to he line.  This time he did twice
> as well as before, making 1 of 2.  Tommy recommended that the C's try
> working a back door play, which sounded like a good idea to me if the
Grizz
> were going to overplay like this.
>
> Pierce took a shot with 32.6 seconds left that got blocked.  tommy was
> screaming for a goaltending call, but I went frame by frame on the tape,
> and it was a clean block.  Pierce did, however, get fouled, and went to
the
> line for two.  He made one.  (AARGH).  While Pierce was getting the ball
in
> to Battie, Shane Battier literally grabbed Pierce's uniform to hold him
> back with no call.   Fortunately, Battie DID draw a foul on the play, and
> made both.
>
> Pierce then stole the ball on the next defensive stand, and got it to
> Banks, who dropped it to Williams.  Eric's shot didn't fall, but Raef had
> the cleanup rebound.  The first quarter ended with Memphis leading
> 29-27.  In the first quarter, Boston outshot Memphis slightly, going
11-20,
> while the Grizz were 9-22.  The C's also held a 20-10 edge in paint
> points.  But the scoring difference was in the Memphis threes and in the
> free throws.  The Grizz were 9-12, while the C's were a zombie-like
> 5-10.  For crying out loud, my CAT can go 5-10 at the line.  But then, she
> looks like a furry basketball.  I told her not to go trick-or-treating
> without me.
>
> Second Quarter:
>
> The third quarter would prove frustrating for the Good Guys, as they would
> close in on the Grizz, then something would go wrong, and Memphis would
> once more increase it's lead.  More weirdness happened as James Posey
> nearly ended up in the lap of radio broadcaster (and former Celtics
player)
> Cedric "Cornbread" Maxwell.  He had his hands up on the play, showing he
> remembers how to play the game properly.
>
> Pierce then got a good look at a jumper with single coverage, but
> missed.  Then Banks picked off the Grizz at the defensive and and fired a
> pass up to a speeding Kedrick Brown.  But the pass was moving even faster
> than Kedrick.  He somehow caught up to the pumpkin as it bounced off the
> free throw line towards the baseline, but their combined momentum carried
> them too far under the hoop.  Kedrick tried to throw it back in as he flew
> out of bounds, but the ball looped straight up and hit the basket
stanchion
> out of bounds.
>
> Meanwhile, Gasol took a page out of Vin's playbook and flushed a shot on a
> spin move.  Pierce and Battie stopped Posey from pulling the same move on
> the next play.  Yet while the refs were no longer calling the nonexistent
> fouls against the C's as they did in the first, it's not as if they became
> Celtics fans, either.
>
> Banks still looked a little too forced on his shots, though his timing and
> selection improved somewhat over the previous game.  But as Jason Williams
> took the rebounded miss, he slipped and fell out of bounds, returning the
> ball to Boston.  Mike James then came back in, along with Baker.
>
> Pierce tried to lay a pass down to Raef, but since they were about four
> inches apart, he didn't have time to receive it properly.  Raef is good,
> but not THAT good.  Very few people can take a pass like that.
>
> There was a good defensive play by Boston as Kedrick cut off the angle and
> he and Raef combined to stuff the shot.  Baker alertly grabbed the loose
> ball and looked to see who was furthest up, then realized the upcourt
lanes
> were blocked.  He dropped it back to Pierce, who had the angle to get it
up
> to Kedrick.  Brown drove toward the hoop, but his shot was blocked.  Raef
> grabbed the ball, but it was slapped out of his upraised hands as his
> defender went flying toward--yep, Cedric Maxwell again.  Max is getting
> practice taking a charge, anyway.  Good to keep in shape, if you don't get
> squooshed.
>
> When the ball came back in, I noticed that Vin has good Point Guard
> instincts.  He looked to see who had the best shot.  No one presented a
> decent look, due to good defense by the Grizz, so he dribbled up to dump
it
> off.  The shot just missed, but it was a case of something out of almost
> nothing.  Unfortunately, the C's defense broke down on the next play, as
> Swift went straight down the middle for a two handed dunk, and Raef never
> got in front of his man.  This prompted Obie to call time with 9:06 left
> and explain that the current Grizzly lead of 35-27 would get really grisly
> if the C's didn't shore up their defense.
>
> When time came back in, Pierce committed a turnover, when he was setting
up
> for his shot.  His man had gone past him, and Pierce was wide
> open.  Unfortunately, the ref blocked my view, but it seems as if that low
> dribble Pierce likes was his undoing there.  To his credit, he went to the
> floor to try to retrieve it, but it ended up Memphis ball.  Jason Willimas
> buried another three to increase the lead.
>
> Eric Williams went strong to the hoop, and had two good upfakes to draw
the
> foul.  He went to the line and made one of two.  But Pierce snagged the
> miss and drew the foul as Posey hit him.  Back inbound, Pierce drove to
the
> hoop, and got two and the foul.  At long last, some calls our way.  But he
> missed the free throw, which made me aggravated.  Pierce normally makes
> much better attempts.
>
> The C's defense was giving them opportunities on offense, but things went
> weird again, as James passed up an open look to try to send it back out to
> Pierce.  But the Grizz were waiting for that, and intercepted the pass,
> knocking the ball back over toward halfcourt.  He drove in, back up a step
> and fired for two.  Pierce made a tough shot, but in that case, James
> should have sent it up, instead of a risky back pass to Paul.
>
> Jason Williams buried another three, and this was where the Grizz did most
> of their damage in the quarter.  They kept popping the lead out every time
> the C's closed in.  The Grizz were now 4-9 from the arc, whilst the C's
> were 0-4.
>
> But the C's offense wasn't doing what it had in recent games.  Pierce was
> being given the ball out by the three point line, and there often weren't
> any teammates in the paint.  This forced Paul to take it in from high up,
> giving the defense time to be ready for him.  There was no sign of Vin
> Baker, for example, waiting to take the dump pass for a spin and
> shoot.  But since the Grizz were overplaying the pass, they didn't double
> up as fast as they should have, giving Pierce a little room to work
> with.  How he didn't get fouled with three defenders converging on him, I
> don't know.  But he somehow got the ball up, and it was just a shade high
> on the backboard, caroming off the front of the rim on the way down.
>
> Blount was working hard to establish defensive position.  I hope Raef was
> paying attention.  But the offense was--well, stilted.  Passes weren't
> being properly made.  Eric Williams got caught on the side and the only
> option left was a desperation pass to Pierce to attempt a low-percentage
> shot clock three.  I know Pierce is their best player, but the rest of the
> team needs to learn to play without expecting him to bail them out EVERY
> time.  He simply can't work miracles, and he was having troubles of his
own
> tonight.
>
> At the other end, the threes finally stopped falling for the Grizz.
Boston
> rebounded, but as James was going for the rebound, Waltah! got tangled up
> with him, and James had to try to pass the ball to Pierce from a prone
> position.  Pierce managed to corral the ball despite a Memphis shadow, and
> he made a high lob pass to Eric Williams at the far corner.  Eric was
> fouled by Miller, as timeout was called with 5:49 left in the half and the
> Grizz leading 41-32.
>
> When time came back in, Eric Williams was at the free throw line, making
> both--at long last!!!!
>
> James then tried a little full court pressure, but as he was the only one
> applying the squeeze, Memphis shrugged him off pretty quickly.  But Raef
> LaFrentz outhustled three Memphis players to exhume the ball out of the
> tangle to Blount.  Waltah! made a double spin move for the two at the
other
> end.
>
> The C's finally got the fast break going again, as James heaved the ball
up
> to Eric Williams, who made the quick jumper.  This prompted Hubie to call
> time with 4:37 left and the score now 41-38, as the C's slashed the
Grizzly
> lead with a 6-0 run.
>
> Banks came in for James, and the C's tightened their defense a
> bit.  Now,the offense needed a boost.  Baker spun another move on Outlaw
> for two more.  Memphis was settling for the outside jumper, which wasn't
> falling.  Pierce made the outlet pass to Eric, who missed.  Baker's
cleanup
> rebound was a tad too enthusiastic and the Grizz got the ball.  On their
> way back down, Bo Outlaw thought he was going to be given a clear run to
> the hoop, but Eric Williams had other ideas, as Bo landed somewhere in the
> third row, taking out a cameraman along the way.  Eric stood rubbing his
> left knee, looking a little sore as Bo was being extracted from the pileup
> behind the hoop.  Fortunately, both players and the cameraman seemed to be
> ok, and play continued.
>
> The resulting free throws pushed the Grizz lead back up, but Baker hit a
> nice open 12-foot jumper, off an Eric Williams pass.  Eric then got
> entangled once more with Bo, and they ended up in a jump ball, which Eric
> won.  Pierce took the pumpkin and threw a late lead in pass to Raef, which
> sailed over Raef's head.  But Raef got his own back on the next trip, with
> a deep jumper from the corner.
>
> The main reason the C's kept it close were on the defensive end, where the
> Grizz took the kind of shots that Boston took last season; and on the
> offensive end, where Baker and Eric Williams were taking high-percentage
> shots off good passes.  But the C's offense seemed cursed one more as the
> Grizz pulled away again, just as Boston closed in.  The first half ended
> with Memphis maintaining their lead of 47-44.
>
>
> HALFTIME:
>
> As far as sheer effort, both teams were working hard, though the C's
> were--by and large--working smarter.  Memphis was pushing it's luck at the
> three, and losing the battle, as they were now 4-15 as Boston disdained
the
> three, going 0-5.  Boston was shooting 50% to Memphis' 38%.  The C's had a
> 26-16 lead in paint points.  But the Grizz were 11-14 at the free throw
> line, whilst the C's were only 8-15.  Boston also had 11 turnovers to only
> 9 for Memphis.  Additionally, Memphis converted the Boston turnovers to 15
> points, as Boston only managed 6 points.
>
> This was a VERY close game so far.  For every advantage one team had, the
> other countered.  As I mentioned, the Grizz were trying low-percentage
jump
> shots, but the C's were turning the ball over and missing free
> throws.  This would come down to second-half execution.  If the C's could
> shoot more often while maintaining their high percentage, they had a
> chance.  If the Grizz started connecting on the threes, it would be a
> nightmare for Boston.
>
>
> Third Quarter:
>
> Pierce opened up the third quarter by getting the ball in to Baker, who
> posted up over Gasol for an easy two.  You could practically see the light
> bulb go off over Vin's head.  But Blount got his third foul at the other
> end.  Justice prevailed as Gasol went 1-2.
>
> Pierce got a good look at a deep two, as the entire Grizz defense
collapsed
> under the hoop, but it bounded off the rim.   Memphis was scaring me as
> they started passing the ball and going inside.  If they did that with
> consistency and effectiveness, they were going to kill the C's and stomp
on
> the pieces.
>
> They weren't letting Pierce pass inside to Baker--or anyone else, for that
> matter, but Vin came out to take a pass and drain a jumper.  Pierce did
get
> a rebound, but the Grizz defense closed down the outlet pass and Paul
> eventually dribbled into Posey for the charge.  Hubie Brown is annoying,
> but he knows that the C's halfcourt game is 99% Paul Pierce.  If he can
> stop the run and close off the passing lanes, he can expose Pierce's
> ballhandling problems.
>
> The C's forced Memphis back to the outside jumper, and Blount came up with
> the rebound as a result.  James launched a three, but Blount got the
> offensive rebound--good work at both ends, there--and fired it back out to
> James to reset the offense.  James got it to Baker, who was knocking
> Gasol's lights out.
>
> Vin Baker was single-handedly keeping the C's offense in gear, having
> scored all of the 3rd quarter points to this juncture, with 8:40
> left.  This brought the score to 53-50, as Boston closed in once
> again.  But Swift faked Baker out of his feet and drive in for the stuff
at
> the other end.  Blount got caught obviously searching out Pierce and the
> pass was stolen, with a Memphis layup resulting, as Blount picked up his
> fourth foul.
>
> At the other end, the C's weren't running as fast as they should have, as
> Pierce got no help on the break.  Miller bailed the C's out by fouling
> Pierce, but the guys still need to run harder and more consistently.
> Boston also backslid a bit, letting Pierce go one-on everyone too often
> with no help.  Some of this was the Memphis defense cutting off the
passing
> lanes, but that just means Paul needs to pass the ball a little faster
than
> he's used to, before he's ganged up on.  On the next play, he just plain
> got caught out, and was called for an offensive foul.  He was running
fast,
> but not smart, that time.  Frankly, Pierce's defensive game was much
better
> than his offensive game tonight.
>
> Gasol proved to be a slow learner, as Eric got the ball into Baker, and
Pau
> thought he could handle Vin straight up.  One hook shot later, Pau looked
a
> tad sheepish.  By the way, I wish Vin would develop that hook shot a
little
> more.  He's got the size and speed to make it really effective for him,
and
> the damned thing is nearly unstoppable if you do it right.
>
> Baker was active on the defensive end as well, tearing down the rebound,
> and getting it to James.  But James doesn't seem to read the court as well
> as he should--missing both Pierce and Battie upcourt.  I honestly wonder
if
> he's having some kind of trouble.  I know he CAN pass it, but sometimes,
> the pass just never comes, and he dribbles the ball up.  At least it's not
> the shambling pace used by the C's last year, but still, the pass IS
faster.
>
> Battie shot up an airball from the corner--I really prefer he go inside
> whenever possible.  You notice that Vin Baker rarely takes a shot outside
> his range, unless there's no other option.  Battie sometimes overestimates
> his ability on the outside jumpers.  But he redeemed himself on the
> defensive boards at the other end.  But the Grizz once more extended their
> lead, to the frustration of Celtics players and fans.
>
> There was suddenly more than frustration as Eric Williams went down on the
> next play.  He got fouled as he went up for a shot with 5:55 to go--no
> call, of course, but he never made it back down court on defense and by
the
> time the C's came back on offense, he was clearly limping and having
> difficulty putting weight on his left leg.  Looking back at his shot
> attempt, it looked like his left leg came down at an odd angle from the
> rest of him, and he stopped running then and there.  He made it to the
> bench under his own power, and was immediately seen to by the
> trainer.  Tommy prognosticated--correctly, we later learned--that it was a
> knee problem, specifically, a hyperextended right knee.  That was
> especially troubling as earlier in the game, he's banged up his left knee,
> too.  He would not return to the floor.
>
> Meanwhile, Waltah! made a VERY nice fake on a three, then calmly sank it
as
> his defender went flying into the corner.  Tommy tried to pressure Gorman
> to say he loved Waltah! too, but Gorman just said no.
>
> Vin Baker made a strong defensive move, stopping the pass inward.  He
> finally went to the bench for a well-deserved rest.  I swear, if anyone
> predicted Vin would play this well at both ends for ANY game this year,
> then they have a time machine.  And he wasn't done yet.
>
> Banks ran the length of the floor on the next play, then--to quote Johnny
> Most by way of Tommy Heinsohn, HE GOT MUGGED!  Raef couldn't muscle
between
> the two Memphis players that were between him and the hoop for the
rebound.
>
> Banks then zoomed past the defense and got two.  Outlaw missed a three,
but
> Wesley Person rebounded and made the three.  The C's failed to convert at
> the other end, and Bo Outlaw danced through the defense to the hoop for
two
> more.  Obie called timeout with 3:13 left in the quarter and the Grizz now
> leading it 65-59.
>
> Tommy took the opportunity to suggest that some of the refs might be
> missing calls due to lack of conditioning for a running game.  He's lucky
> they can't assess him technical fouls, though I'm still thinking he'll
> become the first broadcaster ejected from a game.  :>)
>
> Obie wisely reinserted Baker, as Pierce remained on the bench.  James put
> one off the glass for two, and Waltah! stole it at the other end.  The C's
> missed a golden give and go opportunity, forcing Kedrick to a bad
> three.  Waltah! batted the ball out once more, and continued making his
> presence known on defense.
>
> Mike James continued to miss free throws, going 1-2.  Then Baker went to
> the line, and made both! YAY!
>
> Then, Baker played tough defense, motored up the court, and took the
inside
> pass. He dunked the ball with emphasis.  Make no mistake, people--Vin was
> keeping the C's in the game at both ends.  Vin gave the C's their first
> lead in ages with 1:10 left, 66-65.
>
> Then, Vin got fouled on a made three, and hit the free throw!  Well, the
> playback did show the foul before the shot.  But we're the Good Guys!
>
> But the Grizz refused to give in, and stole the ball, leading to a
> basket.  The third quarter ended with Boston leading it, 70-69.  Vin Baker
> had--so far--21 points in 23 minutes on 9-11 shooting.
>
>
> Fourth Quarter:
>
> The group that procured the lead at the end of the third, started the
> fourth--as Pierce remained on the bench for an extended period of
> time.  Vin was officially Da Man right now.
>
> But Memphis came roaring back, retaking the lead until Vin made a shot
> clock spin shot.  Waltah! rebounded and got it to James, who zipped up
with
> Vin blocking for him for two and the free throw.  Then Vin tore down
> another rebound and passed quickly to James.  Vin was fast enough to
> receive the pass inside at the other end, then rebounded his own miss, but
> was rejected by a strong Memphis defense.
>
> But Super Vin was back on defense, taking down his eighth rebound as he
got
> fouled.  Pierce came back in, and drew the defense as he passed out to
> James for the catch and shoot three.  In addition, the refs were catching
> these incidental muggings committed by the Grizz, and that was cutting
down
> on the overly physical play for the most part.  Hubie had to call time
with
> 9:34 left in the game and the score now 78-71 in favor of Boston.
>
> When time came back in,Waltah! made a nice block, that would have been an
> easy break, but the Grizz defense was on the ball--literally, keeping pace
> with the C's.  Raef ended up taking an outside shot that wasn't very
> good.  But Pierce stripped the Grizz at the other end, and James' shot
> didn't go in.  Waltah! tried to slam the rebound, but it bounced
> out.  Swift took it hard to the hoop and Vin was unable to keep from
> committing the foul as he tried to prevent the basket.
>
> Pierce missed a fast break opportunity, and got the ball to Vin too late
> for anything but a foul in the act of shooting.  Vin's one weakness right
> now is his free throw shooting, though considering he was doing everything
> else, I'll give him some slack for now.  Two misses later, Memphis had the
> ball as Gasol tried beat Vin, but couldn't convert.  The C's made a few
> fast passes between Banks and Brown, and while Memphis was mesmerized,
> Pierce swept in from the side to receive the ball for an easy two.  The
> Grizz called time with 7:14 left and the sore now 82-73, Boston leading.
>
> Banks made a great defensive play and the break was on, but Pierce
> inexplicably stopped at the free throw line, and the defense was now
> ready.  The forced pass was picked off, and Banks ended up committing a
> foul on defense as Memphis ran right back.
>
> Now, it was the Grizzlies who were slowly climbing back into the game as
> the final quarter slowly wound down.  Pierce hit his free throws as the
> Grizz went over the limit with over half the quarter left.  Tommy actually
> complimented the refs, saying they were finally getting into the rhythm of
> the game.
>
> The C's still kept trying going to Pierce exclusively every time the break
> broke down.  They can't keep doing that.  They need to look for other
> options at least often enough to keep the defense honest.  As it is, the
> know the moment the C's slow down, they'll try to get the ball to Pierce.
>
> Unfortunately, the Grizz hit another three, and closed the gap a little
> more.  They stopped the C's at the other end, and then went to the line on
> a foul.  Timeout was called with 5:09 left and Boston now leading it
> 84-78.  Two free throws later, it was a four point game.
>
> This time, Pierce came out to draw the defense on the pass, and was
> fouled.  He made both, but the C's need Pierce to get the ball two feet
> from the hoop, not twenty feet.  Blount then took a defensive rebound and
a
> few seconds later, James made a fast hoop for two more.
>
> Pierce worked hard on the defensive end and got fouled getting the
rebound,
> making both.  There was now only 4 minutes left in the game, and the C's
> had a 90-80 lead.  But the Grizz weren't dead yet, as they kept
> fighting.  Blount stole the ball, but James wasted the possession with a
> silly attempt at a three.  There was 13 seconds left on the shot clock,
and
> Kedrick was wide open at the other side of the arc, with a passing angle
in
> to Pierce, who was facing single coverage.  Bad shot selection--and, for
> that matter, a bad shot, period.
>
> At the other end, Gasol went to the hoop, then to the line as Blount
> committed his fifth foul.  Pau made both, and Memphis pressured the C's
> offense.  The C's never got a really good look.  Then Swift drove to the
> hoop and Blount ended up fouling out of the game with 2:44 left.
>
> Following a timeout, Swift hit the free throw for the old-fashioned three
> point play, cutting the C"s lead down to 5 points.  They continued to
> pressure the C's on offense, and harassed Pierce to the point where all he
> could do was pass back out.  James made a valiant attempt to go to the
hoop
> that failed.  The C's mounted a furious defensive stand that gave them
> possession of the pumpkin, but they walked up the floor.  Vin drew the
> defense before firing out a pass to an open Kedrick--who, unfortunately,
> shot an airball.
>
> Bodies hit the floor as the Grizz came back on offense, ending with an
> alley-oop to swift for two,  Pierce found Baker under the basket at the
> other end.  Vin was hammered and went to the line with 1:16 left and the
> score now 90-87.  However, Vin's free throw shooting is still not so hot,
> and he missed the first, though the second crawled into the basket.
>
> But miller blew past Kedrick and put it down for two more, and it was
91-89
> with one minute left.  Pierce drove to the hoop, and was called for an
> offensive foul--his fifth (Initially, I thought it was #6, but he remained
> in the game).  The replay proved Tommy right--the defender WAS still
> moving, in fact, had one foot still in the air--and was well outside the
> semicircle.
>
> But it was crunch time for the Good Guys as Pierce had to sit.  Blount was
> gone on fouls and Eric was out with the knee injury.  The Grizz went to
the
> hole, but the Bat-Man was there for the rebound as Boston made the long
> pass to Kedrick.  There wasn't much Kedrick could do as his defender was
> right on top of him, but he managed to call timeout with 13 seconds left
on
> the shot clock and 31.4 seconds left in the game.
>
> Following the timeout, Pierce was back on the floor, and made good spin
and
> fake moves, but still got stuffed on the shot.  He went to the floor for
> the loose ball, but the shot clock ran down.  There was a
near-altercation,
> as Vin saw something that he didn't like, and ran toward the tangle of C's
> and Grizz players.  Vin was about to rearrange James Posey's face when the
> refs broke it up, with--rather surprisingly--no technical fouls called
> either way.  Timeout was called with 17.9 seconds left, and the score
still
> 91-89 in Boston's favor.
>
> Following the timeout, the refs put some time back on the clock, so there
> was now 18.5 seconds left.  On the inbound play, Pierce was called on what
> I say was a clean block.  But Pierce fouled out of the game.  Even Mike
> Gorman said it was a bad call, and he usually lets Tommy make those
> declarations.
>
> With 10.4 seconds left, Gasol sank both free throws to tie the game at
> 91.  The C's used their last time out to figure out what to do without
> Pierce, Blount, or Williams.  Waltah! came in to provide some veteran
> stability, but anyone who watched this game probably figured Baker was the
> likely go-to guy.  Waltah! put the ball inbound, and got it to Mike James
> near the halfcourt line--the Grizz had also figured on Vin and were
> covering him.
>
> James held the ball at the top of the arc, and realized everyone was too
> well covered to get a pass to.  He had only one defender in front of him,
> and time was running down.  He faked the three, and drove past his
> man.  Baker had broken free, but by now, James was closer to the hoop, and
> vin was at the arc line.
>
>  From just above the corner of the free throw line James let it go, just
> clearing the hand of his defender.
> With 1.8 seconds left.
>
> Nothing but net.
>
> Memphis called time to try to make one more push, as Pierce ran onto the
> court and picked James off the floor for a hug.  The C's were determined
to
> make one last defensive stand.
>
> The Grizz took the ball in at halfcourt, and Gasol took the pass, with
> Baker in his face.  Vin fronted him and time expired as the Celtics played
> a Halloween trick and stole the game away from the Grizz, 93-91.
>
> Cookies and Crumbs:
>
> Cookies go to:
>
> VIN BAKER:  He gets a DOZEN cookies for his stentorian work at both
> ends.  He made the last minute heroics of James possible and played
defense
> literally to the last second.  24 points on 10-14 shooting in 34
> minutes.  Also, 8 rebounds, an assist and a steal.  His only relative
> weakness was at the free throw line, where he was 4-7.
>
> Mike James: When you make last-second, game winning shots you get a
cookie.
>
> Mark Blount for his physical work at both ends.  Raef, pay attention to
that.
>
> Eric Williams:  His injuries came on tough aggressive plays.  I hope he's
> ok soon!
>
> Paul Pierce gets a cookie for his scoring and free throw shooting--though
> he scored fewer points than Vin, and his percentage wasn't as good.
>
> The refs get one cookie between them for not calling T's on the 4th
quarter
> spat, since it was their fault in the first place.
>
> Crumbs go to:
>
> The refs, for letting the game get too physical and not calling it both
ways.
>
> Paul Pierce and his nine turnovers.  To his credit, after the game, he got
> on himself about that.  But I'd rather see him not make the turnovers in
> the first place.
>
> Marcus Banks:  he was better, but not by much.  He has to step up.
>
> The C's running and passing game.  It was obvious from the outset that
> Hubie Brown knew the C's game plan and got his players to beat it.  If the
> Grizz had shot a little better, this game would've been lost quickly.
>
> The C's won't get to rest in peace, as they must face the New Orleans
> Hornets less than 22 hours later.
>
> And that's the view from the doghouse.
>
> Snoopy the Celtics Beagle
> Please visit the <http://www.celticsbeagle.net/>Celtics Beagle Website