Two Down, Two to Go
by Greg Payne on Apr 20, 2010 10:44 PM EDT
in Boston Celtics Games
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Who needs Kevin Garnett? No, totally kidding. The Celtics waxed the Miami Heat tonight, 106-77, and now own a 2-0 lead in the series.
- Doc Rivers chose to go with Glen Davis as KG's replacement and it certainly worked out. Davis was large and in charge, posting 23 points and eight rebounds. He hustled his tail off once again, and was rewarded with 11 free throw attempts.
- Speaking of heat, let's talk about Ray Allen. 25 points, five rebounds, and three assists. He shot 9-13 from the field, and 7-9 from three-point nation. He was lights out in the third quarter, burying five of his six three-point field goal attempts, with most coming from the left corner.
- The defense we expect out of this team, even without KG, was present from the get-go tonight.
- Great game overall out of Kendrick Perkins. His help defense was crucial all evening, and he grabbed nine rebounds in the process.
- Speaking of rebounds, the Celtics out-rebounded the Heat 50-33. Wow.
- If you're a fan of the +/- stat, you'll be happy to know that every starter was at least a +29 tonight, with Perkins registering a +43. Quentin Richardson, on the other hand, managed a -37. Loved the chorus of boos that erupted from the crowd every time Richardson touched the ball. Mike Bibby-esque.
- With his team down 29-25 less than three minutes into the second quarter, Michael Finley buried a three-pointer that ended up igniting a 21-0 run for the Celtics, which led to a 16-point edge (49-33) at halftime.
- The C's then followed that up with an 18-0 run midway through the third, putting them up 69-37 on a Ray Allen three-pointer.
- Let's enjoy this one, but don't forget that Friday's a whole new ballgame. C's just need to keep bringing the defense.
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That's what I'm talkin' about!!!
Except I would have liked to watch the last quarter. I tried to get the radio feed on nba.com but there is nowhere to find it. Anyone know where to find the audio for playoffs? Ray was huge and Davis was tremendous!
I think though that Rondo set the pace and got the team going after a first quarter where they should have been ahead by 6-8 but were tied.
Watch it!!
I live in Holland and watch the games on internet – http://www.atdhe.net/index.html
doesn’t always work and isn’t the greatest picture – but it beats watching hte Yahoo page refresh every 30 seconds!!
Really Annoyed at TNT
I was enjoying the game and all of a sudden they decided they’d rather show Phoenix. As an exile here in GA I count on the nationally televised games.
Sigh— that said, that was fun! More please!
Especially cause it was on NBA tv!
by mm mm toasty on Apr 20, 2010 10:48 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
NBA is ashamed for Miami!
it’s playoffs and Miami looked like a practice team for Celts. but i also hate that! grrrrrrrr..
i was enjoying and you suddenly changed it to Phoenix! arggghhhh!
Richardson may now understand (not sure he gets it already though) why it was a bad idea to make stupid comments and fire up the C's...
He awoke a monster.
Ray had the perfect bounce back game tonight, it was such a pleasure to see him hit 3’s after 3’s like they were free-throws.
Awesome win, great defense and great games from everybody. 2-0!
remember what I said after game 1?
“wait till Ray’s shots start falling”
(yes, I’m totally patting myself on the back)
"We few, we happy few, we band of brothers" Henry V
Not sure about that
He might be yelling, screaming and jumping up and down all game in DA’s house. He is even more difficult to clam down that the erupting Eyjafjallajokull.
by getthat18now on Apr 20, 2010 11:46 PM EDT up reply actions
that's why you dont wanna trade RAY!
and im not even talking about those nasty tres!
going aggressive to the basket when not open, FT’s, extra pass Down Low!
THE CHEMISTRY! the chemistry of Celtics with RAY!
Can those “young athletic” guys that had been mentioned can fill that?
How many times we saw RAY did this for CELTS? especially when the captain is not that efficient.
Great solid win.
C’s were tenacious on defensive tonight and reminded me of how they played defense in 08 and in 09.
Rondo played a great game dishing the ball.
Ray Allen was just on fire.
Baby gave us a great game and lift tonight in place of KG.
It was also nice to see Perk finally come alive and play well.
Lets get game 3 now with a rested KG ready to go !
Yes we had the beast to tonight
Perk came to play
good effort all around
by Warrior Spirit on Apr 20, 2010 11:14 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Who's that beast?
And where have the Celtics been hiding him all season? Would like to see more of the Perkins-Davis combo. They clicked.
Ragetti
I hate TNT with a passion. I hope they lose the rights to broadcast games next season.
Yeah
That was bogus.
Bet if it were Cleveland or la they would not have switched over.
by Warrior Spirit on Apr 20, 2010 11:28 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Count Your Besslings
Between the Suspension and the injury, Doc fell into a rotation that worked. The question, is, do you keep that going or go back to the good old tried and not so true…
+1 to everyone especially disappointed I didn’t grt to see the 4th quarter.. Loved the booes all game. And I forget whose post I was reading, but they mentioned after Ray Allen has less then double digit scoring games he usually goes off. He really called it. + Perkins 43 to the guy who called the Ray going off
by Pmartin60 on Apr 20, 2010 10:54 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
How about an Academy Award for the actresses?
.And what I wouldn’t have given see a KG-watching-at-Danny’s-house streaming web cam…
Still too early
let’s win 2 more against the Heat before we start planning for Cle
by slamtheking on Apr 20, 2010 11:00 PM EDT up reply actions
just left the Gahden
man was it LOUD! Kelly Dywer might want to revist his most hated player by other NBA players. Me thinks it night now be Q-Rich. Don’t awaken the beast that is the C’s, bad idea.
by KG's Knee on Apr 20, 2010 10:57 PM EDT via mobile reply actions
did I call it or what?
Posted this in an article this morning:
still looking for a win
I still think the C’s will win despite KG sitting out. Here’s why:
Perk can’t play much worse. Not saying he will automatically be better but he can’t be worse = HE DID
Ray and PP are unlikely to both have another off night. One or both of them will shoot better. = THEY BOTH DID
Rondo will step up his game on offense as he usually does when one of the big 3 is out.
We still have TA to chase Wade around. We may not get as much offense from TA but I’m anticipating more offense from at least one of Ray, PP or Finley. = RONDO DID. TA STILL PLAYED GREAT D ON WADE
Miami is still Miami. Wade and who? Beasley might score more. Maybe Jermaine too but neither of them should go off on a major scoring spree. Wade will probably score more in the late part of the game but C’s still have plenty of bodies to keep running at him. Make Wade play some defense and he’ll be dragging a bit at the end of the game. = WADE DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING AT THE END AND BEASLEY AND ONEAL DIDN’T PRODUCE ANYTHING TONIGHT
by slamtheking on Apr 20, 2010 7:59 AM EDT reply actions 0 recs
i missed KG still.
it’s really different when he wasnt around. no trash talking. no bullying! THE PASSION!
If we
Play defense and rebound like that, there’s nobody we can’t beat. Nobody. It’s just a matter of being that efficient night in and night out. It’s not as if we shot the lights out tonight. Ray was great, but as a team, we were only 48%. It was a blowout because we dominated the glass, played terrific defense and were aggressive on offense. Very encouraging win, and the fact that we had no KG was just the icing on the cake.
Absolutely
Defense is key, being counted out (the underdog) for the rest of the playoffs won’t hurt either
by Warrior Spirit on Apr 20, 2010 11:20 PM EDT via mobile up reply actions
Big if
Question is, when KG comes back, does the club slip back into standard rotations and regualr season m.o.? Really liked Perkins/Davis combo, need more of it.
Too late!
Wont say better off without but the good Doc might want to rethink his rotations… Id might try Granett/Wallce, and Perkins/Davis.
KG needed to be a part of this
he’s aching to blow out the Heat
IN MIAMI will be even sweeter
another 30 point BLOWOUT on this own court. HAHAHAHA
Listen up
U can call Glenn Davis Big Baby ,The ticket stub or what ever i’m callin him Mr. Post Season.
Rondo was harrising Arroyal & Chamers they could’nt dribble.
A most incredible dominating performance of epic proportions
What an effort. Just smothering defense. The only reason Miami scored as many points as it did is D Wade decided to play one-on-one for most of the second half. I still am amazed at the defense. I don’t think the Celts played 5 games this year that were as dominating as this one. TIme to get back to work though for Friday night, because it really is just one win meaning they held serve in Boston. And, a guy I am not a big fan of, Glen Davis, came up HUGE tonight. One negative — Sheed still stinks and I almost felt the energy sucked out of the TV when he came into the game in the second half. They may need him to actually try and contribute at some point in the playoffs.
i know what you mean about Sheed's presence, he really does suck
the energy out of the team when he’s on the floor. I’d be much happier with Rasheed suspended for the rest of the playoffs, and Davis/Williams making up all the extra minutes. Sheed hit a couple good shots tonight but he won’t hustle for a loose ball if it’s more than an arm’s length away. So sick of watching that guy make 5.5 million dollars per year.
by milt palacio's shot on Apr 21, 2010 4:37 AM EDT up reply actions
TNT
First off great game, but I’m quite annoyed about TNT switching to the Suns/Blazers game with more than 8 minutes left in the 4th quarter of Celtics/Heat… I bet if it was the Cavs or Lakers blowing a team away by 25+ they wouldn’t break away from it. Anyway, props to BBD (and the team overall) for stepping up in KG’s absence. Let’s finish this series in Miami!
Heh -- just posted the same thing up above
He was the only guy on the floor who seemd to lack energy and interest tonight. Hopefully they won’t need him too much. A three-man big man rotation of Garnett, Perk and Davis, with Sheed playing about 10 minutes a game would work for me.
With Perk fighting chronic feet problems....
and having a up and down year and Baby also playing inconsistently this year and having problems finishing around the rim on offense due to his lack of height and jumping ability, Sheed will be needed to play more then 10 minutes a game in the playoffs.
Now considering he is the only legit back up center the C’s have, he evidently and out of necessity needs to get more then just 10 minutes a game which is suggested.
Also we need Rasheed’s defense on Oneil in this series (which has been pretty good) to help keep pressure off Perk and give him a blow .
Keep in mind also once we get to face Cleveland’s Shaq and if we get to the finals to face the Laker’s Bynum, Rasheed length and low post power defensive ability will really come in handy then, since he has a history of defending both power centers fairly well.
So their is still a clearly a need for Sheed who still is our most talented big man off the bench.
It's all about matchups.
The at PF, BBD’s length (or lack of) is not as big a weakness against the Heat, especially with Perk at C on the floor at the same time as that allowed Davis to play from 6-7 feet off the basket. The Heat don’t have a big body that can keep him from attacking laterally. I thought BBD was the right call for this game.
Against other teams, with bigger post players, we will need more minutes from Sheed. Team game. Tonight Pierce scores just 10, but we win because other people step up big. That doesn’t mean we won’t need Pierce to be big in other games.
Its all about match ups is correct..
I agree Baby was a good call last night due to the match up as I think you and me agree that playing Sheed at the power forward position at least against teams with quick athletic power forwards (like Miami has with Beasley) would be a tough and bad match up for Sheed since he lacks the foot speed and athleticism to stay with such players.
Baby matches up better against the heat’s power forwards so should of gotten the start against them no doubt, he also played a great game for which he deserves credit.
But as I mention in my post which you also correctly point out against teams with big low post players like Miami (with Oneal) and the Cavs (with Shaq & Varego) , Magic (with Howard) or Lakers (with Bynum and Gasol) for example where Baby’s lack of height and jumping ability can be exploited by those long big front lines I think here against those match ups we clearly have a need for Sheed since he is the only lengthy big we have on our bench who can match up well physically against those opposing lengthy front line players.
Varejao? Hickson? Powe?
They will eat Rasheed Wallace alive. The reason he’s effective against J O’Neal is that Jermaine has next to nothing left in the tank, just like Rasheed.
I get your point. Yea yeah yeah Rasheed is tall and can match up well against certain guys and play in the post. But the guy is useless against anyone who plays with a shred of hustle, because we know one thing for sure about Sheed: he will not/ can not hustle under any circumstance.
by milt palacio's shot on Apr 21, 2010 4:46 AM EDT up reply actions
As I mention in my post....
I said Rasheed would match up well against power center players like Shaq and Bynum who would eat Baby and Shelden alive if they had to guard them since they both lack the length to properly defend and score against them.
I did not say Rasheed would match up well against Varejao, Hickson or Powe.
But I do think either Rasheed or Shelden would match up better against Varego then Baby since again Varego is a lengthy power forward and Baby has a problem defending lengthy players and getting shots off long power forwards due to his lack of length and jumping ability..
I agree Hickson and Powe would be a bad match up for Sheed since they are quick and athletic.
That would a better match up to throw Baby or Shelden on them instaed.
DEFENSE
That is what won game 1. That is what won game 2. Two games holding the Heat to under 80.
The reason this was a blowout was our perimeter shooting was also on fire. The combo of the two factors was devastating.
Awesome games by Perk, Rondo, Ray & BBD. Rondo’s press defense on Chalmers was brutal. I liked that Tony kept it up when he subbed. They wouldn’t let him bring the ball up clean all game.
Another thing no one mentioned
Because we dropkicked the Heat all over our floor, no one had to play 35 minutes for us. Our starters actually didn’t have to kill themselves in this game!
That’s just awesome.
Is it just me or
is the crowd finally back as well?
Agree
Crowd was going crazy tonight. Loved that they booed Q everytime he touched the ball
EVERYBODY NEEDS TO CONTACT TNT AND TELL THEM THEY SUCK!!
and ray ray / ticket stub were awesome-
go green!!
if I know the TNT address, you bet I will.
We have seen teams coming back from even large deficit before. The Bulls came back from 35 down earlier this season and our Celtics came back from 24 down to bear LA. Cutting away with almost an entire quarter to go is ridiculous.
This is the most complete game the C has played in quite a while. I sure want to enjoy the whole thing.
by getthat18now on Apr 20, 2010 11:56 PM EDT up reply actions
I was also upset at TNT...
I mean, who do they think they are cutting the game off from? The people who were interested in Celtics-Heat. Blazer and Suns fans aren’t sitting around watching and hoping TNT shows their game. They are watching NBATV or using other means to watch their game. Then they go ahead and tease us with a couple seconds here and there and go right back to Blazers-Suns and throw in long commercial breaks. We missed most of the 4th quarter and postgame…..
Oh well, awesome game. Enjoyed it while it lasted. Would have enjoyed watch the whole game. Post-Season blowouts don’t happen all the time.
Passion play...
Celtics played with all-out passion for the first time in a long time!
The 50-33 rebounding edge—by a team that couldn`t rebound all year—says it all!!
you could not ask for a better game. the energy that kg exudes came out of every celtic. let’s hope when kg gets back the rest of the guys do not feel that kg has to show all the energy for the team and they keep what they had tonite going full bore. glen davis came out with his killer player game on and i hope he can do this as a sub. let’s give kg the game ball for standing up for his teammate and maybe inspiring the guys to wake up from their slumbers.
Correction Greg
Two down, Fourteen to go :)
But that was sure a sweet game to watch. I was unhappy with TNT for cutting away in the fourth, but you can understand why :)
anyone at saturday's game also at tonight's game?
was it just me? or was everything like 10 times louder?
also, what generates more crowd buzz?
a dunk? or Ray Allen lining up for a three? I think it’s the latter.
i think the latter, because there is more time to see it develop.
So the crowd has a few seconds to build anticipation and explode when the ball sinks in the net.
Dunks are often met with a stunned second or two because they usually setup and happen so fast. The exception would be a good alley-oop, because it too, has a long setup before the throw-down.
The Fans
Will defiently respond if the C’s play hard . Win or Lose.
At least i do when they come to the ’"PALACE" of Auburn Hills"
game was kind of nuts
Baby was missing layups left and right, but getting to the line. After Ray started making those threes, everyone started hitting. Even TA hit a long jump shot which I haven’t seen him do in a while.
In other words, everything sort of went the C’s way tonight. It has to be at least slightly worse Friday. If the C’s can hold the heat to 37 points in roughly the first 30 minutes again though, it shouldn’t matter!
TNT, you suck
Stop kissing up to the Miami fans, you idiots at TNT.
If you switched over to the final minutes of a do-or-dead game, then may be I will take it. But leaving us and going to the start of another game in the WEST is totally unacceptable. Give Boston fans some respects.
Now I remember why I liked Glen Davis
I love how Baby gets half his shots stuffed but is still effective b/c he’s so persistent and energetic. Reminded me of the spirit of ’08.
Celtics are looking dangerous lately...
funny thing happened to me earlier tonight. So I was playing basketball at a park by myself and some chubby kid in a Lakers’ hat approached me and asked me if I wanted to play a game of 21. I of course said no and told him it was because i was about to go watch the Celtic’s game at a bar and then he proceeded to attempt a three-pointer from NBA range from the same spot on the court where Ray Allen later caught fire in the fourth quarter of tonight’s game. Long story short he bricked the shot and the ball literally bounced over the fence of the bball court and then rolled about 50 feet down a hill and then all the way down the street (the street was also on a hill). Every time Ray Allen drained a 3 pointer tonight I thought of that kid and just laughed to myself.
I am proud of the
defense the C’s have been showing… To keep Heat from 79 points both games… thats terrific!!
I can because I will.. Makes sense?
:-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-) :-)
Thought that might happen! Cs were ticked off about the Q thing. Now KG comes back and he’ll be loaded for bear and keep the the team energized. Q’s pushing Pierce out of bounds and subsequent punkiness backfired on their whole team!
Go Cs! You’re BAAACK!
by Daveonthecape on Apr 21, 2010 12:05 AM EDT via mobile reply actions
a win in Miami...
and it’s official we’ve flipped the switch
roads games coming….. yes
+1 for the switch is ON
by David Henderson on Apr 21, 2010 1:12 AM EDT reply actions
Great game for BBD
Wow, what a game by BBD and Ray. Perk too. I still think BBD should be called ‘The wrecking ball" because that is how he plays. Anyway, we have KG coming back after several days of rest and we steal the first one in Miami then sweep the seris on Sunday. Only problem with that is we don’t get to see as many games but that is ok.
Wrecking ball!
TP, good one. He and Perk worked well together. Hope Doc has the sense to come back to this combo in game 3 and 4.
fair call
Nice back to back post-up and a rebound in the 4th. still loks like his feet are in molasses when he’s on the court.
Sheed's old
I think Sheed’s biggest problem is age. He just isn’t that quick any more. Personally, I don’t think it’s laziness. He does what he can with his upper body to make life difficult, but his feet just don’t respond like he wants.
Wasn't able to watch the game
But when I saw the C’s up big halfway through the third quarter, I know it’s going to be a good night.
"The idea is not to block every shot. The idea is to make your opponent believe that you might block every shot." - Bill Russell
Yes, intimidation is the key to domination.
One thing that worries me except for Sheed is
that Miami found a way to defend and neutralize Rondo’s penetrations. Only two baskets he scored from the field were from a very long distance. He tried to drive three or four times in the second half but clearly couldn’t find a way to the basket and had to give up the ball. I know that BBD and Ray were on fire and Rajon is pass-first PG, but still… And Cle and Orl are much better teams than Heat. I must watch it more carefully in G3.
Nice win, too bad I ddn't get to see the 4th...
I thought the key was being agressive on the boards on both ends and not settling for jumpers every time down the floor. One thing that doesn’t show up in the stat sheet is Rondo pressuring the ball. The Heat took a bunch of rushed shots simply because they were forced too. Nice D by Rondo & the C’s.
I do think the Heat will have a better games in Miami, but if the Celts continue to crash the boards and defend, they’ll put themselves in a great position to win.
Favorite video highlight. Spoelstra mik’d up to his assistants “Any other ideas?”
http://www.nba.com/video/channels/playoffs/2010/04/20/0040900132_mia_bos_recap.nba/?ls=iref:nbahpt2
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