A Great Gift: Celtics Beat Magic
by Jeff Clark on Dec 25, 2009 5:20 PM EST
in Boston Celtics Games
Email
PrintThe Celtics made Paul Pierce proud by stepping up the defense and beating the Magic. They limited Orlando to just 8 points in the 2nd quarter and held them off the rest of the game.
Rondo in particular (as expected) stepped up with 13 rebounds and 17 points. Tony Allen filled in admirably for Pierce with 16 points of his own. Vince put in 27 points and Howard pulled down 20 rebounds. But Ray Allen had 18 points of his own including some clutch free throws down the stretch.
A great Christmas gift to Celtics fans everywhere.
(Check out the newly named and excellent quality Orlando Pinstriped Post for a recap from the Orlando perspective)
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i dont know if this has been mentioned...
but the pinstripe post looks suspiciously similar to the celtics blog….
did i just got banned here?
i cant access celticsblog and the rest of sbnation. anyway i missed the guys here especially when you won with a great D. This game just shows Celtics has an on-of-switch button. if they want to play hard they will prevail unfortunately we have older line up so we have to do the Gpopovich strategy.
Did i just say Great win!hohohohoho
Nice!
TA & Rajon were running circles around them. Very nice win.
ps – you need to edit the Ray Allen / her part ( – : (that was a man, Man!)
by redzdeadbabyredzdead on Dec 25, 2009 5:32 PM EST reply actions
Great Christmas gift.
Thanks Celtics!
Ray was so clutch down the line, beautiful to watch. Hope Paul enjoyed the win and we can keep it up during our road trip without him. Looking forward to see Glen getting back into the rotation.
Also, Perk and Sheed totally dominated Howard defensively. It will be huge in the playoffs to have these two to defend Howard.
KG?
Anyone here how KG is? Was it a knee ? back? groin? He was definitely in pain on the bench.
Merry Christmas!!
Between the ‘how many times can you say Kobe or Lebron?’ commentary and the ticky-tac officiating, I didn’t think I would get through that game… but the reward was fantastic, here’s hoping for a great road trip to put pressure on the Lakers to perform away from home!
Rondo was brilliant in keeping up his flow despite the TO’s and foul trouble. Ray, you da MAN. Perk owns Dwight, tremendous effort yet again the same goes for sheed. KG will be fine, he’s a tough cookie. TA did an excellent job filling in, even though I’ve never seen Vince play so well. Great to see Glenn back, he’s rusty of course but i’ll take it none the less!
Enjoy the holidays everybody!
Nice guys
Really nice and great effort from everyone on the team, loved the energy from the team. I thought filling void for pierce will be tough but everyone played their heart out, even after getting into so many fouls initially they still did it.
I got my xmas gift…
Congrats on the win. A well-deserved victory for the Celtics.
The defense in the second quarter from Boston against Orlando was insane and the difference in the contest, in my opinion. Very impressive. Rondo also picked up the slack with Pierce gone and had an excellent game.
Happy holidays, everyone! Be safe.
I write for Orlando Pinstriped Post and have a Twitter account.
"The second unit is kind of crazy because the second unit is only white guys." - Marcin Gortat
Thanks eddy, I'm glad we could put forth the players and efforts we did...
I agree, the 2nd quarter was the difference – not very representative as a playoff preview imho, but competitive to the end, Dwight’s troubles notwithstanding…
Thanks for the respect, hope ta see ya in the spring for a few more games!
Jyrecelts the way u word ur posts I have to ssk
Are u with the organization?
by Warrior Spirit on Dec 26, 2009 10:04 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
...i'm just a lifelong C's fan...
…also, I am particularly interested in the participation of other knowledgeable folk on this or any team blog… e rivera7 showed me last year how much there is to gain from engaging with other team blogs, yet I couldn’t find that same honest respectfulness wit’ Chitown’s blog, or the fakers, cleveland, etc.
i love to express and absorb thru the blog because I HATE talk radio…lol…
Great win in Pierce's absence. Rondo played great
but the turnovers were annoying
Follow me @jimmy_toscano
great game by BOTH Allens tonight
You don’t get to say that very often at all but as much flack as he gets(and deserved in most cases), he should get some credit for stepping up in the pinch here and playing a solid game against a serious foe. Good for Tony.
by bucknersrevenge on Dec 25, 2009 5:56 PM EST reply actions
Everybody
…did a great job. Lot of energy and effort, esp on D.
- KG hit the back of hishead hard, as well as his butt (pelvis). Hopefully, likely, no more than some bruising.
- TA was great, AGAIN. Made a lot of good decisions. This pattern is looking real. Amazin’. (Only small negative: a couple of airballed jumpers. Maybe just nerves.)
- Hard to understand how they won, with only Rondo and Sheed scoring for like the first 15 minutes. Great D… only way to explain it.
- Baby looked FATTER to me… Woah big fella. Get back on that diet.
- Ray was great. He deserves a present… how about a new dress? :)
HAHA
- Ray was great. He deserves a present… how about a new dress? :)
really weird yesterday ray-ray! but i would say still the best clutch! Thanks RA! you the man! and of course my secret favorite Celtics (since 2007), PERKS, TA. always lobbying for the underrated.
we got our christmas present
and to all a good night! rondo with the white and the red sneaks was the man and played like a champ. even tho the abc guy- is it tirico? was putting the game down because it was low scoring- what does he know? both of these teams know how to play tough, physical defense and that second quater d and transition by the c’s is highlight reel stuff for me. good to see baby and i hope no concussion for kg, but his tailbone will be sore. the guy who scared me the most was eddie missing shots but he didn’t turn it over at least. we need to give ray a rest soon.
Great Christmas present!
I have to give props to Tony Allen again. He doesn’t seem like the same player I’ve been dogin’ for 3 years. Ray Allen is still an All Star and this team is ferocious!
It's understandable
…playing Ray 43+ minutes and Rondo practically 48 in this game. It was a special game. But this HAS to stop… immediately. It’s simply not worth the risk of injury to be playing our starters that hard…. and for what? Another regular season win? Doc will figure it out… I hope.
Hey -- I thought Kobe's MCL was torn? BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Regarding today’s C’s game, GREAT effort. But man, did Eddie House stink up the joint big time.Tony Allen was the player of the game. Rondo was great, but his 7 turnovers left a lot to be desired.
I know you have issues with Rondo
but c’mon – TA is the player of the game over Rondo??
If it wasn’t for Rondo’s play today and his near triple-double, we prob would’ve been blown out.
Don't Trade Rondo or Perk!
No issues with Rondo
Just thought that no one here expects anything but bad from TA and the guy played a real solid game with 16 points and one turnover. As I said, if Rondo did not have 8 turnovers, I would have awarded him the unofficial player of the game. Both of them were great.
Rondo ran the game
RR did what he does best. I think it was the shoes ;-) Anyone notice the shoe change after the half? Sheed filled in well against Howard as well. Awesome effort by the whole team. Thank you Jesus….I mean Ray Ray. He Definitely Got Game.
"I was like a kid in a candy store running around with his head cut off ,,,," 0_o
by CaliforniaGreen on Dec 25, 2009 9:34 PM EST up reply actions
With BBD back..
I’m sure his minutes will increase and in somehow, some way, Rondo and Ray will get to sit more.
lakers putting up a great end of 2nd quarter effort to get back withing 9
they were down 20 with like 5 minutes left..
Great win
Santa Rondo stole the show.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
Perk on Howard
“You’ve got to play him physical. You watch other teams around the league, they pretty much let him set up shop,” Boston center Kendrick Perkins said. "You’ve just got to go in and be prepared to go to war. You’ve got to fight him first, hit him first.
“He likes to be physical, but he doesn’t like anyone to be physical with him.”
I would love for one day in 20 years or so for Perk to takeover for Tommy.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
Love Perk's way of talking
He’s gruff, he’s laconic, his English is imperfect… but he’s almost always right, and always to the point. Not much filler with Perk.
Yeah Agreed
I wanna see Perk in the booth and talk about how I used to see him play. : )
Perk is a Beast
Perk is monster against the supposed golden one.
SOOOOOOOOOO underated,
the most underRated person in the whole NBA.
going from strength to strength vs Super WOT.
with PP we would of closed that game out in the 2nd qtr.
Rasheed kept us it the game early, Rondo was EPIC all day causing havoc
good to see TA get some burn early and deliver.
Perk is so underratted it is rediculous
Though I could not believe just how much the refs took him out of the game
alot of coddling the home teams last night by the refs though it did not matter must say I have long held respect for the laker organization though not their fans, but I must admit it was amusing to see the laker meltdown
by Warrior Spirit on Dec 26, 2009 10:13 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
Yes, Perk is extremly underrated, in the league, and even on his own team and maybe even by his own fans…
A team with Sheed and KG for big men, its not a stretch to say Perk is the real enforcer in the paint, easily the best post defender, most efficent scorer, shotblocker, and even his perimeter defense has improved.. Perkins defends the opposing teams best big man EVERY NIGHT
I give more credit
to the fans. I believe there is a lot of love for Perk amongst the fan base. I do not think he is under appreciated in Boston. The rest of the country seems to dislike him (accept Hubie Brown , he gave Perk a lot of positive comments yesterday) but that could also be a sign of respect, jealousy and the fact he’s tufter than any of the opposing players. I bet if they took a pole amongst coaches, he would be a player they would want to coach.
Impressed with Sheed
I love to see his long arms extend in the middle of a pack of players and come away with the rebound (reminded me of Walton). If he can stay focussed for a seven game series, watch out LA.
Tony started off a little like the old tony (unable to handle a pass and two quick fouls) but when Doc put him back in, all was well. Nice job TA.
Even Scal did a nice job on Carter for a few minutes in the 2nd qtr.
Nice win!
Sheed's arms
The guy is lightning quick with his hands – comes unexpected from such a big (old) guy.
I think it takes folks by surprise – which is cool by me.
Yeah
He has surprised me with his hand quickness. A la Rondo, he knocks a lot of passes away from behind the guy he’s defending and also steals from behind the same way.
If he doesn’t get steal, it is at least as effective as a deflection.
by Tom Halzack on Dec 26, 2009 10:54 AM EST up reply actions
the best
We absolutely are the best team in the NBA. Hopefully we continue to show it. What other team could beat a top 5 team in the NBA without their go-to scorer?
It's the D, man... the D
When they really focus on it, it’s just amazing to see. Lock-down, no-escape defense. And it wins games… just like they always say.
And what D
Totally took Orlo out of their jump shot comfort zone. They kept swinging it but no one was open. Result? A very un=Magical case of the yips.
Any team on any given night can win without their go-to scorer
We lost to the Blazers last season when Brandon Roy was injured for example
No one's saying it hasn't happened before
But I know people weren’t thinking that before the game. They were saying “Oh noes, no Pierce, even Nelson’s healthy, how do we win in Orlando?”
As long as you agree to not downplay this win, I’ll agree to not downplay what the Blazers did last year….although I have to ask…was that the game where the Blazers had six players and weren’t T’d up?
uhm . . .
“But Ray Allen had 18 points of her own including some clutch free throws down the stretch.”
Why is Clark calling Ray a “her” ?
haha
…someone was probably watching his daughter while trying to pound out that recap, and we were provided with a little clark-stream-of-consciousness.
I went ahead and fixed it.
nice catch.
When Perk was asked what he thought of Howard winning the gold medal this summer, he responded: "What’s his impression of me after I won a ring?"
yep
it was a hit and run recap because there were 300 things going on at that moment and I shut down the computer till just now
thanks for the catch
HE got game.
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
Great gift Two!
Was the Lakers getting booed at home and having things thrown at them in a beat down at home. Nice cheap shot by KOBE on Mo w Williams , where Kobe just puts a crossblock on Mo and there’s no call. But the Lakers with all there cheap shots still took a beating.
Nah...
…they were throwing things at the Cavs, and the refs. High class, those Lakers fans.
That would've at least been classy
Instead they threw first foam fingers, then water bottles. Nice, eh?
Merry Christmas!
Celtics win, Lakers lose!
And a Happy New Year!
by KY Celts fan on Dec 25, 2009 9:11 PM EST via mobile reply actions
The young guys
Rondo, Perk and TA were the catalysts for this win. KG was not impressive, Ray was getting beat by Vince, but TA closed down Vince. Rasheed was the best of the oldies. But without the youngs, we lose. Verrrry encouraging.
With no SF...
I think this team deserves alot of credit (and alot of turkey) for the way they handled this game. Just a great effort allround!
Also, I Cannot wait to see a second unit of House, TA, Quisy, Davis and Sheed Take the floor when we are healthy.
That may be the most talented group off of our bench, but
I think they might be a little small at the 3 & the 4, and TA is only 6’3" at the 2 (ok for a 2,but not going to have much height in a switch). Pretty good ball handling for a second unit TA and Eddie are both pretty good when not the primary ball handlers (when either is the primary not so much).
That's a really solid defensive lineup
except House who can be good at times on defense but is undersized
Great win...
this was a great Xmas gift.
When this team plays big games on national tv they stay focused and are motivated to play well.
They have to do the same when playing against the poorer teams in the NBA though.
Control the Paint
The three Celtics big men— Perk, KG and Sheed— controlled the paint. That’s what won the game. But I was a little worried in Q3 when Scalabrine was playing so terribly. I was praying for him to foul out to get him off the floor.
Earth to Doc Rivers: Brian Scalabrine cannot guard Vince Carter.
Agreed
I’ve been covering my eyes for 5 years watching Scalabrine. Give Walker a shot.
by lemonade sky on Dec 26, 2009 12:32 AM EST up reply actions
You think that was his first choice?
Pierce and Daniels are out, TA got 2 quick fouls, what choice did he have? They did actually win, thank God Doc coached the game and not you.
Shelden Williams, Glenn Davis, Bill Walker, Lester Hudson
Williams or Davis might not have stopped Carter, but at least they would have rebounded the misses. Scalabrine is basically useless. He’s popular with the fans because he’s a dork with whom they can identify.
Did the C's win?
Again, glad Doc was making the call and not you. I have no particular affection for Scal, just think it sounds ludicrous to poke holes in who the coach played after the team won. Bill Walker was not dressed, and none of those other guys can play the 3. Besides, if you have been following the team these last 3 years, you know their stellar D is based on team concepts, not individual match-ups. I suppose you would have been satisfied with a sub par performance from Carter but an Orlando victory. Save your ridiculous criticisms for when the C’s lose.
Maybe I'm mistaken
But the play-by-play seems to indicate that Carter shot 4-9 against Scal. I don’t call that completely useless. : \
Brickowski
A dork? I can see ripping his basket ball skills but a “dork”
I also thought he played good defense on Carter in the 2nd qtr. Maybe it was just Carter missing shots but I thought it may be a change in height (TA VS Scal) that bothered the shot.
thank you, Brickowski
Happy holidays from…..a dork, I guess
by thirstyboots18 on Dec 26, 2009 9:38 AM EST up reply actions
You Really Think
The Celtics are a bad rebounding team this year because Shelden Williams doesn’t get enough playing time? Or because Glen Davis was hurt? Come on, give me a break. As for Walker, he had a couple games where he had decent rebounding numbers, but he wasn’t exactly tearing it up on the boards in Maine.
When an NBA player who’s supposed to specialize in defense can’t get a lot of rebounds in the D-League, what does that say? I’m not saying he’s a bad player – I happen to like Walker – but even if he’d been dressed he likely would have only added a few rebounds to the Celtics’ total.
"but at least they would have rebounded the misses"
Celtic defensive rebounds: 38
Magic offensive rebounds: 9
Hmm…
A chair for Scalabrine
Could the Celtics petition the NBA to allow them to substitute a chair for Scalabrine?
by Celtsfansince55 on Dec 26, 2009 5:48 AM EST up reply actions
I don't post here much, but I grew up in Boston a long
time ago and watched Cowens and the rest at the old Garden – then moved to L.A. some 25 years ago. Since I’ve been here I’ve been a Clippers fan (it’s o.k. to feel pity for me) because who could ever be a Lakers fan (thowing stuff on the court today)?
So a Big Thank You to the Celtics and the Cav.’s for making it a good Christmas after all.
Two things I noticed – hellofa D played by the Celts, and why (for being the best player in the game right now) does Kobe still cry about the calls in the game all the time?
Another thing I read this morning, but didn't see on the local news
was Laker fans dousing little kids with beer who were wearing Cav.‘s jerseys. Friggin shameful. By the way, I became a Clipper fan because I still love the NBA and I’m a million miles away from home. What are you going do? Celtics will always be number 1 though – no comparison at all.
Perkins underrated
Perkins is very underrated. I have said it many times, he is the best low post defender in the game. I know Howard was the defensive player of last year and has been averaging a ton of blocks lately but if you have to defend one player within 4 feet of the basket Perk is the best around.
Great win today! I was very impressed with Sheed and I guess it was in part due not having watched him play much this year. And, I still don’t get what everybody dislikes about Scal? I mean, sure, he’s not a tremendous athlete compared to some players but the guy isn’t bad. He plays solid D, rebounds a littel, can hit the three and generally plays a team game. What else do you want from a player of his standing?
Yeah Scal plays decent D, both 1-on-1 and team D but...
He has to hit that 3 in be helpful offensively, otherwise he’s a liability out there on offense. He is NOT a good rebounder, NOT a good passer, NOT a good athlete.
He's not a 'complete' liability on offense
his other job is setting picks. Just like with his defensive positioning when trying to draw a charge – one thing you can count on with Scal is he can glue his feet to the floor …. :-)
I disagree with he’s “NOT a good passer”. He’s decent.
Scal’s role on both sides is largely to help manage space – directing and redirecting bodies so as to help his teammates, who are the real playmakers. He picks, he rolls, he has a decent enough jump shot to draw a defender out of the paint. Doc and the coaches obviously feel that he does this role well enough to outweigh any deficiencies he might have as a playmaker himself – to the point they’d rather have him out there over some of their more ‘athletic’ alternatives. I suppose they could be wrong.
No need for sarcasm. I recognize that Doc and coachng staff know
what they are doing. But to say setting picks makes him worhtwhile sounds kind of lame. After all, Scal IS a legit NBA player. I’m nt saying he’s useless, just that any decent NBA big man should be able to not inly set a paick but hit a few jumpshots. Lately Scal has not hit many, even wide open. If I’m an opposing team, I leave Scal open every time if he’s playing with the top 6 or 7 players on the C’s.
yeah 1 for 10 from the field
over his last 3 games is pretty suck.
Career-wise he’s been a consistent 40% shooter. He’s not going to shoot 10% for the rest of the season.
But yeah. Ugh.
Scal is Scal
for lots of Cs fans we love his imput,
his improved hustle, hands, Defence,
but for everyone it spells danger
with the talent on the squad
…
when Scal
gets extended minutes.
Great Win against a Quality Team in Orlando
Great win by our Celtics, without Paul Pierce or Marquis Daniels. Rondo played a great game, minus the turnovers. Ray Allen and TA stepped up big time and IMO had the best Overall games.
Glad to hear that KG is ok after the spill.
Sheed played great off the bench. I think his dunks down low were the most demoralizing to ORL than anything else.
Great Team Defense, especially in 2nd quarter.
Great to see Glen Davis back. He’s rusty, but will get his legs back soon.
Kendrick Perkins should’ve received considerably more All-Star consideration after this game.
After last year’s loss in LA on Christmas Day, this one was Much Sweeter.
Oh and LA lost too? Suuuuper!
Not In My House! Denied!
How does rondo control an entire game and ray allen is invisble for 3 quarters, finally, finally comes back to hit some big shots, and all of a sudden hes the player of the game?
Even though rondo turned the ball over more then anyone is use too (not all his fault) he was aggressive and the best player on the floor most of the night
Yeah a high turnover number for Rajon but
it was just that kind of game and ORL was also playing some good D. Plus Rondo has the ball in his hands so much that in this kind of game, a high turnover number is not too surprising
KG
Actually I thought the best player on the floor was KG, who was simply everywhere on defense.
Defensively yes
He was timid with his shot though
by Warrior Spirit on Dec 26, 2009 10:17 AM EST via mobile up reply actions
H I G H - Q U A L I T Y
Best win of the season – for a variety of reasons
- #34 absent
- Tony Allen showing why the hung on to him
- Rondo displayed that he is the best PG in the NBA to America
- KG, tough as nails, he wasn’t protecting his knee in that fall…it just happened that way
- National TV they showed who’s boss
Great…great win.
Don't fake the funk on a nasty dunk
I love this quote...
“7th-best defensive game of the year”? What, he has a whiteboard in his bedroom where he keeps the rankings updated?
Hope u enjoyed ur Christmas present from the team
Captain
by Warrior Spirit on Dec 26, 2009 10:20 AM EST via mobile reply actions
Excellent news
Apparently Paul Pierce is feeling much better. Well enough to have lobbied Doc to fly with the team to L.A.:
http://bostonherald.com/sports/basketball/celtics/view/20091226kevin_garnett_fall_is_headache_for_club
Great news. If anything had gone wrong with the treatment of his infection, he would not be doing this. (And I like that Doc is saying to take the time to be as sure as possible.)
Excellent news
Glad to see that the real experts were right about Pierce and Kobe!
statement game ?
going into orlando and with no pierce beating them in there arena to me is a huge win and it makes a statement that we are the beast of the east hey does,nt stan van gundy look like ron jeremy lol lol lol …
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