wolves in the Garden.

[Jeff White]

Blount's foot was on the line on that shot.  The TV replays showed it wasn't
a 3.

Good call, unlike the one when Davis was fouled shooting a 3-pointer but was
awarded only two free throws.




On 3/4/07, Kestas <Kestutis.Kveraga.Adv04 at alum.dartmouth.org> wrote:
>
> We're now seeing the fruits of Pierce's absence. The Celtics, thanks to
> that christening-by-fire in the past couple of months, now have other
> options besides Pierce, some semblance of chemistry and occasionally
> even a little bit of defense, and have become a so-so NBA team.
>
> Some observations from the game:
>
> We won because of superior rebounding (+30!), because the T-wolves
> outshot, outpassed, and out-defended us (Hassell's injury was a lucky
> break,  as he gives Pierce trouble).
>
> We nearly lost because of terrible pick-an-roll defense, mostly on KG
> and Hudson. For all his shooting,  Delonte was getting schooled at the
> other end by Hudson. He'd either drop below the pick and have Hudson
> head straight to the hoop, or switch and end up with KG,  who'd just
> turn shoot right over him.  There were also numerous instances when he
> got broken down off the dribble, or on simple feints to one side and
> heading in the opposite direction, by Hudson. Not a strong game
> defensively for DW, nor was he creating well, despite his 10 assists.
> The Celtics built their 11-point lead in the 2nd mainly because Rondo
> contained Hudson and the second stringers. Rajon should've gotten more
> than 12 min.
>
> Veal, on the hand, was terrible offensively, yet was kept in the game
> until he made a stupid pass in the 3rd, after which Doc's patience ran
> out and he mostly played Gomes and GG the rest of the way. It's no
> surprise that Scal doesn't hit anything during games - I started
> watching him shoot jumpers during warmups and he was 3 for 18 until
> hitting a few in a row and finishing something like 7 for 25.  That's
> with no one guarding him! He did play a couple of decent stretches of
> defense in OT.
>
> Gomes should be kept at almost any cost. While not a star, he's one of
> those "glue" guys who do whatever needs to be done to win. Yes, I'm
> aware he was part of the 18-game losing streak but still.
>
> Al got 9 rebounds in the first quarter,  then just 5 in the remaining 40
> minutes or so.  Still, another strong performance.  He still was a
> little apprehensive about going at KG those few times KG was guarding
> him,  though he had no trouble scoring on Garnett either. Blount and
> especially  Smith were easy meat. Very soon, smart defenses will start
> sending a second defender against his signature move - a jump hook going
> from the left side of the box to the middle. It's money almost every time.
>
> Pierce shows more trust in his big guys and Gerald during the game, but
> in the end,  he still tries to do it himself too much.
>
> The official attendance of 18,271 was overstated by at least a quarter.
> When the game ended up tied after 4 quarters, amazingly, a good chunk of
> the "fans" stood up and left. After the first OT,  a whole bunch more
> left. They had gorged themselves on overpriced FleeceCenter food and
> drink,  the T-shirts and the parachuted toys had already been tossed
> out, the regular Jumbotron and "game presentation" programming had run
> its course - what was there to stay for?  The game itself is completely
> irrelevant to a large portion of the TDBG crowd. They only respond when
> the Jumbotron prompts them to, like Pavlovian dogs.
>
> The fans who stayed did have a nice ovation at the end, without
> prompting.  Also, enough people paid enough attention to steadily boo
> Blount, and to alternatively cheer on or boo Ricky-D. Ricky, of course,
> rose to the occasion again, Blount nailed a critical last-second trey
> that wasn't counted as such, and KG had his typical quiet triple-double.
>
> Lastly, they need to screen the national anthem singers (or better yet,
> do away with the stupid tradition altogether). The kid who attempted to
> sing it today had a decent voice but zero sense of pitch. He was about
> as off-key as Scal's jumpshots.  Amusing,  but kind of felt
> uncomfortable for him and his family.
>
> Kestas
>
>
>
>
>
>
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>
>
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