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