I didn't get to see the game tonight. As with many of you, I was relegated to watching refreshing boxscores and play by play on the web. It is not a fun way to watch a ballgame. Fortunately, I had this place so I was able to spend some time with my CelticsBlog friends and engage in a little spit-wad fight with Roy Hobbs and Edgar.
I did get a sense of a few things about tonight's game though. To put it in a nutshell, we really do have some wonderful little beasts-in-the-making on this team. At least it seems that way to me. Oh yeah, they've not proved themselves entirely yet. I know that, and I know that some of them never may. On this evening though, while trying to gleen something from the stupid web pages I was watching refresh, I flashed back to a memory of a much earlier time in my own life.
I was five years old and I was crying. My mother came running to see what was the matter. I shouted at her, "Dad kicked me!", and I pointed my finger at him. Then he, in the only memory of him I have wherein he was flustered, pointed his finger at me and shouted at my mom, "Well, he kicked me first!" It was true too! He had made me mad and I had kicked him in the shin just as hard as I could. I KNEW it hurt! Just before he kicked me back, I was smiling with satisfaction!
My mom just turned around and stomped away from both of us while shaking her head. I was aching from my payback, but he was so completely embarressed by the situation that I considered myself the victor in that small encounter.
Our C's young'uns reminded me of that fond memory tonight. They kicked hard and I was proud of them all for it. Whether they fair well in time to come or not, I would wish that they all could look back upon games like this one and smile with the remembrance.
Just as with most of you, I'm no sportswriter, but I do love the game. There is also no separating our love for it, and our love for the Boston Celtics from how intertwined it is with our own experiences and memories. Those are rich tapestries that are the stuff of life. It is, and will be, the same with the Boston staff and team.
With that, I'll leave you with the tonight's boxscore...
| BOSTON CELTICS | |||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| Ryan Gomes, F | 35 | 6-12 | 0-2 | 0-1 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
| Gerald Green, GF | 30 | 4-18 | 2-7 | 2-3 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Kendrick Perkins, FC | 19 | 1-4 | 0-1 | 0-0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Allan Ray, G | 41 | 8-18 | 3-7 | 3-3 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 22 |
| Rajon Rondo, G | 40 | 6-12 | 0-1 | 2-5 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 14 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| Leon Powe, F | 28 | 6-9 | 0-1 | 3-5 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 15 |
| Sebastian Telfair, PG | 32 | 8-12 | 1-2 | 4-6 | 1 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 21 |
| Kevinn Pinkney, IR | 16 | 0-2 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | |
| 39-87 | 6-21 | 14-23 | 11 | 25 | 36 | 14 | 12 | 1 | 17 | 32 | 98 | ||
| 44.8% | 28.6% | 60.9% | Team TO (pts off): 17 (13) | ||||||||||
| INDIANA PACERS | |||||||||||||
| STARTERS | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| Jermaine O'Neal, FC | 35 | 5-12 | 0-0 | 4-5 | 1 | 13 | 14 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 6 | 14 |
| Danny Granger, F | 38 | 5-8 | 0-0 | 5-6 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 15 |
| Troy Murphy, FC | 28 | 6-6 | 2-2 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 16 |
| Mike Dunleavy, GF | 43 | 8-16 | 0-2 | 6-6 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 22 |
| Keith McLeod, PG | 32 | 5-8 | 1-2 | 6-6 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 17 |
| BENCH | MIN | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS |
| Darrell Armstrong, PG | 27 | 3-9 | 2-5 | 2-2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 |
| Orien Greene, PG | 8 | 1-1 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Ike Diogu, FC | 17 | 3-3 | 0-0 | 1-2 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 |
| Shawne Williams, F | 13 | 1-5 | 0-0 | 0-0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 2 |
| TOTALS | FGM-A | 3PM-A | FTM-A | OREB | DREB | REB | AST | STL | BLK | TO | PF | PTS | |
| 37-68 | 5-11 | 26-29 | 6 | 36 | 42 | 23 | 9 | 3 | 26 | 21 | 105 | ||
| 54.4% | 45.5% | 89.7% | Team TO (pts off): 26 (25) | ||||||||||
Technicals: None
Officials: Matt Boland , Jess Kersey , Eddie F. Rush