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Teamwork lifts Celtics over Jazz.
Once again, six players in double figures for Boston
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BOSTON, November 11 -- Ray Allen walked off the court raising his left index finger to the cheering crowd. By his side, Paul Pierce did the same -- a repeated gesture of triumph this season. The Boston Celtics beat the Utah Jazz, 108-88 on Wednesday night. “With this squad, right now in my career, I couldn't ask for anything better,” said Pierce, who had 18 points for Boston but shot 6-of-15. Allen had his moments as he scored 19 points for a season-high, 8-of-10 from the floor. “Tonight was a great night. With this record, anything less of a playing spot in June would be a personal disappointment,” Allen said. When Pierce had to, as he did for most of his other eleven seasons with the Celtics, he did it by himself. With the Celtics ahead 24-20 with 1:34 left in the first quarter, and Allen and Kevin Garnett on the bench, Pierce scored eight of Boston's next 12 points.
“We're just trying to keep one of them -- Pierce, Allen or Garnett -- with that second unit so we have a go-to guy every time,” assistant coach Thierry Tirieux said. “And that go-to guy knows that it's his time.” Garnett had 16 points and nine rebounds to go with two blocks. Mehmet Okur had a game-best 21 points and Carlos Boozer had 18 and 12 boards for Utah, way below expectations with a 1-7 record. Rondo limited Deron Williams to just 3-for-13 from the field -- a season-low 9 points -- and the Jazz making only 4-of-15 3-point shots. “They have a great squad,” Okur said. “You can see that they have what it takes to win a championship again.” Pierce led a second-quarter rally that gave the Celtics control, expanding a 27-20 lead after the first period to a 20-point lead, 63-43, at the half. They led by at least 15 the rest of the way.
Marquis Daniels scored six of his season-high 14 points in a 8-2 run through the third quarter, and finished perfect from beyond the arc -- 4-of-4. Allen made a three-point play and Garnett finished the rally with a turnaround jumper. The closest the Jazz came in the fourth quarter was 89-74, but Rondo scored the next three points. The Celtics trio of Allen, Pierce and Garnett, dubbed “The Big Three”, has a long way to go before it matches the accomplishments of the first group with that nickname -- Larry Bird, Robert Parish and Kevin McHale -- who were on Boston's last three championship teams in 1981, 1984, and 1986. One young fan, though, was rooting for an even bigger “Fantastic Four”, adding Rajon Rondo to the equation. The sign could read: “FANTASTIC FOUR ::: 9 20 34 5”, making reference to their jersey numbers. Rondo did it all -- 17 points, 10 assists, five rebounds and four steals in a dazzling performance. “It was a great atmosphere,” Rondo said. “Yeah, I saw that sign. I appreciate it, but there's no importance in four of us. All 15 players on the team count.” Boston's bench outscored Utah's, 34-17, as Rasheed Wallace added a season-high 12 points and seven boards. (PLAYED GAME)
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Allen, Celtics take advantage of Hawks' poor defense.
Six straight triumphs for the C's
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BOSTON, November 13 -- The Boston Celtics played well against the Atlanta Hawks for three quarters. Rajon Rondo is just glad that one of those was the first. Rondo scored 10 of his 13 points in the first period to lead his team to a 89-74 victory Friday night and their 6th straight win, relying on defense on the second half and not much on scoring. After the Celtics squandered almost all of a 15-point lead during the second quarter, Rondo took over in the third. He had five assists in a span of 2 minutes -- including two alley-oops -- to put them up 65-50 with just one minute left to play in the period, and finished with 13 points, six rebounds, 17 assists (matching his career-high) and five steals. “I started being more accurate with the passes in the second half,” said Rondo. “It's like a snowball. You feel more and more confident and every pass I made, it went in for my teammates.” After that, the momentum never shifted back Atlanta's way.
Ray Allen added a team-best 17 points for Boston, and Paul Pierce had 15 points, five rebounds and two blocks. Joe Johnson led Atlanta with a game-high 18 points, six boards and nine assists, but shooting 5-of-17, while Josh Smith added 11. Sixth man Jamal Crawford scored 16. “Rajon's explosive. I take off my hat,” said Hawks coach Mike Woodson. “It's not like he's only a shooter. He can score in multiple says, he gets to the line, he gets in the lane, he shoots 3s, he made Nash or Kidd-esque passes.” Al Horford was held to a season-low 4 points, just like Atlanta's points in the paint production: a season-low 14 (Boston: 38). (SIMULATED GAME)
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Boston escapes Indiana with a win in overtime.
Granger-Pierce duel traded baskets all night long
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INDIANA, November 14 -- Behind Paul Pierce's 34 points, the Boston Celtics were able to celebrate gingerly when they finally emerged victorious, with a 114-107 overtime triumph over the Indiana Pacers. Momentum swings, missed opportunities, timely three-pointers, overtime, a 2-player duel for the ages and even an injured player, it’s difficult to know where to begin when describing a NBA game that had so many things to comment. Indiana's Danny Granger struggled with his shot most of the game, missing a putback that could have ended the game in regulation, but he managed to score 34 points. “We are a pretty team,” Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. “I love my job.” Looks like Pierce is already pushing for a spot on the Eastern All-Star team, with 34 points, four rebounds and a clutch three-pointer that gave the Celtics a two-point lead with 21 seconds left in regulation. Pierce and Granger scored 34 each in an incredible duel, with the two forwards trading baskets, layups, treys and all kinds of shots, while Ray Allen continued his streak of 15+ points games with 20 and three assists.
Kevin Garnett added 14 points and 8 boards. Not to be overlooked, and also continuing his personal streak of great games off the bench, was Marquis Daniels, who knocked down a key three-pointer in a 10-2 run on the third quarter and finished with a 9 points in 15 minutes, before limping off the court with a sore wrist. X-rays weren’t necessary and is listed day-to-day, but assistant coach Thierry Tirieux has decided to rest him for the Celtics' next game -- at home against Golden State. To resume, the Celtics (now a league-best 10-1) won their seventh straight game with a gritty, balanced effort that included no double-doubles, a 12-3 stealing and also a 23-12 turnover advantages. Other noteworthy performances for the Pacers include Troy Murphy's, with 18 points and nine rebounds, and TJ Ford's -- 16 points and a season-high 16 assists. Rajon Rondo had only 8 points, but added his usual all-around stats of four rebounds, 13 assists and four steals. (SIMULATED GAME)
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Week In Pictures.
Before Sheed throws it out the window, here it is, a black widescreen LCD
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Betting Game Leaders
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- • Rajon Rondo: 8+ apg on the week :: 2/1 :: Huge week by Rajon: 13.3 assists per game.
• Ray Allen: 20+ points against Utah :: 3/1 :: Almost there: 19 points by Ray against the Jazz.
• Kevin Garnett: Double-double vs. Atlanta :: 1.5/1 :: 10 points, but six boards. Meh.
• Paul Pierce: At least 10 field goals made at Indiana :: 2/1 :: Pierce made 14 FGs in the overtime duel with Granger.
• Record: 3-0.
More tricks up my sleeve for later!
Just kidding man, good read and love the pics and the Celtics beat border and banner. 
