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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 27, 2007 13:59:53 GMT -5
 at  New York Knicks (26-32) at Boston Celtics (14-42)
Regular Season Game #57 Home Game #27
Wednesday February 28
7:30 PM Eastern Time
NBA TV, FSN
TD Banknorth Garden, Boston MA  Probable Starters     PG: #13 Delonte West, 23 years old, 6-4, 180 , St. Joe's SG: #34 Paul Pierce, 29 years old, 6-6, 240, Kansas SF: #0 Leon Powe, 23 years old, 6-8, 244, California PF: #7 Al Jefferson, 22 years old, 6-10, 256, Prentiss HS C: #44 Brian Scalabrine, 28 years old, 6-9, 235, USC Key off the Bench    #9 Rajon Rondo G, 6-1, 176 #5 Gerald Green GF, 6-8 ,206 #4 Ryan Gomes F, 6-7, 250 #43 Kendrick Perkins FC, 6-10, 271 Injury listRatliff, back - out Allen, knee - out Wally, ankles - out Allen Ray - D League Notes: After saying that Powe would be seeing a lot more minutes, he played only 3 minutes against the Rockets. He played very well in his first start and already had 1 rebound in his second and Doc sat him with 2 fouls and forgot him. I am assuming that Doc will go with the same starters, although it would be a much stronger unit either starting Perk at center or starting Al at center, Powe at PF and Gomes at SF. Scal is not a starting center and I have no idea why Doc insists on playing him there. They are coming off a come from behind win in Houston and hopefully that will boost their confidence and they can put 2 wins together.   Probable Starters     PG: #3 Stephon Marbury, 30 yrs old, 6-2, 205, Georgia Tech SG: #11 Jamal Crawford, 26, 6-5, 190, Michigan SF: #23 Quentin Richardson, 26, 6-6, 230, Depaul PF: #13 Jerome James, 31, 7-1, 280, Florida A&M C: #34 Eddy Curry, 24, 6-11, 285, Thomwood HS (IL) Key Off the Bench    #42 David Lee F, 6-9, 235 #4 Nate Robinson G ,5-9, 180 #32 Renaldo Balkman F, 6-8, 208 #20 Jared Jeffries GF, 6-11, 240 Injury listFrancis, knee questionable Lee, ankle questionable Cato inactive list NotesKnicks are coming off a big win against the Heat and are 6-10 in their last 10. They aren't the pushover team that they have been in the past. I have been sort of rooting for them so as to rob Chicago of that high pick they are hoping for. We may catch a break if Francis and Lee are both still out but the way our luck has gone this season, both will come back and have a career game. Lee always plays tough against us as does Balkman off the bench. Key Matchups vs  Marbury has been playing well lately and the PG matchup should set the tone for both teams. Marbury is averaging 14.3 ppg and 5.5 apg. West is averaging 11.4 ppg and 4.5 apg.  vs  Doc insists on starting Scal at center and this will be a big mismatch against Curry. Scal is averaging 4 ppg and 1.9 rpg. Curry is averaging a team leading 19.5 PPG and 7.0 rpg. Doc should start Perk this game as Perk has always played well against Curry and Scal will be way over his head.  to the game:Hit our shots. We can't depend on opposing teams shooting 32% to offset our 34% shooting percentage too often. We have to take good shots and hit them. Defense We came back last night to win because we played defense. We got stops down the stretch and that was the difference. Hopefully that defensive mindset will transfer to this game. Take care of the ball We are still turning the ball over way too much. We have to cut down on careless turnovers like travels, offensive fouls, and bad passes. Play as a team The younger players can't just stand around and watch Pierce take over the game. He isn't back to that form and so they have to play as a team, share the ball, find the open man, and all contribute. Rebound We need to win the rebounding battle. Rebounding gives us second chances and limits their chances. It also indicates how aggressive we are being. When we are out rebounded, we aren't being aggressive on either end of the court and most often lose. |
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Post by DERRENMATTS on Feb 27, 2007 22:07:43 GMT -5
Who would have thunk that the Knicks would only be 6 games under .500? I certainly didn't. That NY 1st round pick that Chicago owns no longer seems as valuable.
I hope Telfair shows up with his A game whenever Doc puts him on the court. Playing against his hometown team and cousin brings up the challenge in him.
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Feb 28, 2007 8:03:40 GMT -5
I think the Celtics come to play tonight trying to put together a two game winning streak and to make up for the last performance of the Knicks coming in here and completely destroying on Thanksgiving weekend. This is a good coaching matchup for once. Isiah Thomas has his lads playing for him. The key matchups are Jefferson vs Curry (toss), PG vs Marbury (toss), Paul Pierce vs QRich (adv Boston), and the Benches (adv NYK).
Both teams are coming off nice wins, but one team is playing for next year, and the other is playing for a playoff date this year.
SL means summer league?
Lets see - 6:30 CST for tip-off on NBA Channel.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 19:52:46 GMT -5
Game is on NBA TV. We have the Celtics feed but will have to watch the NBA TV half time.
Scal, PP, Perk, Al and West are starting. Doc listened to me starting Perk, but insists on starting Scal.
Perk wins the tip. PP misses a jumper and Perk gets the rebound over Curry. perk misses a hook shot in the lane. Richardson rebounds. Knicks miss a 3 and rebound goes off Jeffries out of bounds. Al with an up and under move and Curry blocks it but Al is fouled he hits both FTs. Jeffries misses a jumper. Al grabs the rebound. Scal misses a 3 and Al rebounds. Al hits a short jumper in the lane. Richardson hits a jumper. Defensive 3 second violation on Curry. PP hits the T. Al misses a jumper Richardson rebounds. Rose misses a jumper and Al saves it from going out of bounds. Scal tracks it down. West gets into the lane and he lays it down to Al who is fouled. he hits both FTs. Rose loses the ball out of bounds as Perk shuts off the middle. PP hits a jumper. Perk with good defense. Curry misses a hook shot and Perk rebounds. Al with a good fake and he hits a layup on the baseline. Marbury gets to the basket and lays it in. Offensive foul on West. Marbury walks the ball up. PP with a steal. West comes away with it. Al called for an offensive foul as Rose takes a charge the second time in a row. Time out with Celtics up 11-5 and 6:44 left in the first.
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Feb 28, 2007 19:55:11 GMT -5
Credit Doc with starting Perkins and Jefferson. The Celtics correctly are looking to punish NYK in the paint.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 20:02:38 GMT -5
Knicks inbound and bring it up. Knicks miss and Perk rebounds. West hits a runner in the lane. Jeffries hits a jumper. West is fouled as he cuts to the basket. West hits both FTs. Celtics with some pressure in the back court. Frye hits a jumper. Pierce was doubled and Perk was alone but he passed to West West called for travelling. Frye is fouled and misses the first. Rondo comes in for West as Delonte got his second foul. Frye misses the second and perk rebounds. Rondo called for a travel. Collins turns it over. Al hits a hook shot in the lane. Jeffries loses the dribble and it goes out of bounds to the Celtics. Al misses in the paint and Rondo tracks down the rebound. PP hits a 3 from the top of the arc. Collins loses the ball out of bounds. Rondo misses a jumper from the FT line. Perk called for a foul on the rebound. Marbury comes in for Collins. Gomes comes in for Perk. Curry maneuvers in the lane and is fouled by Pierce. Time out with Celtics up 20-9 and 2:45 left in the first.
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Feb 28, 2007 20:04:26 GMT -5
Knicks are playing very poorly here. The Celtics have outscored NYK 5-0 since Rondo entered. West should not be the starting PG for Boston.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 20:11:20 GMT -5
Curry hits both FTs. Rondo takes it to the hoop and lays it in. Rondo, Perk, Al, Gomes, PP on the floor. Knicks lose and Rondo rebounds. he takes it to the hoop and lays it down to Pierce for a layup. Marbury hits a jumper. PP misses a scoop shot in the lane. Frye with the rebound. Jeffries hits a layup. Collins with a steal. Rondo blocks his dunk and ball goes out off NY. Rondo is fouled taking it to the basket. Celtics inbound. PP with a nice pass inside to Gomes but Gomes couldn't handle it. Knicks rebound and Curry pushes Perk out of the way but no foul called. Curry gets a technical for hanging on the rim. PP hits the T. Gomes hits a jumper. Frye hits a jumper over the defender. Gomes misses a jumper at the buzzer. Score at the end of 1 is Boston 27 and New York 19.
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Feb 28, 2007 20:12:07 GMT -5
Knicks cut the lead to 8 points with Channing Frye coming off the bench. Pierce is due for a rest here. Bring in West as the SG and Gerald Green at SF. Let Perk and Jeff play big men spots.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 20:12:08 GMT -5
Knicks are playing very poorly here. The Celtics have outscored NYK 5-0 since Rondo entered. West should not be the starting PG for Boston. I agree Q. I was thinking how good Rondo looks out there running the team. |
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 20:19:15 GMT -5
Balkman misses and Celtics rebound. Al misses a hook shot on the baseline and Frye rebounds. Frye travelled but they called a jump ball. Knicks win the tip. Rondo with a steal. Rondo takes it to the hoop but misses the layup. Balkman rebounds. Collins misses a 3. Al tracks down the rebound. Gomes misses a jumper. Knicks save it from going out of bounds but it comes right to Perk who is fouled. He front rims both FTs. Curry rebounds. Marbury takes it to the basket and Green gets a clean block but is called for a foul. Marbury hits the first misses the second. Gomes rebounds. Rondo drives baseline and loses it but Collins steps out of bounds with it. Green misses a jumper. Perk gets the rebound in traffic. Scal hits a 3. Collins hits a jumper. Perk finds Gomes inside and Gomes lays it in and is fouled. He hits the FT. Curry draws a foul as he takes it to the basket. Time out with Celtics up 33-22 and 8:53 left in the half.
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Feb 28, 2007 20:20:36 GMT -5
I wish the game would open it up into a running type game but the Celtics aren't moving without the ball but they are getting points in the paint so the C's are getting away with the Knicks favored pace.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 20:27:36 GMT -5
Curry misses both FTs. Rondo grabs the rebound. Green called for a travel. Marbury takes it to the basket but can't finish. Perk rebounds. Green hits a 3 from the corner. Richardson hits a jumper. Perk called for a travel. What is it with all the travelling calls?  Marbury misses a jumper and Perk rebounds. Gomes hits a jumper. Curry misses a jumper over Perk but Collins is there for the rebound and put back. Green takes it to the basket and draws a foul on Collins. He hits both FTs. Scal with a block. Green misses a 3 and Frye rebounds. Tavelling called on Richardson. Time out with Celtics up 40-26 and 5:46 left in the half. |
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Post by The Eye of the Q is upon you! on Feb 28, 2007 20:29:33 GMT -5
I guess they are consistent with those travelling calls. The Celtics are playing the smartest and most agressive they have all season. The Knicks are the ones shorthanded - no Crawford, no Lee, no Francis (plus for them actually).
No complaints really. Wally has been shut down.
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Post by FLCeltsFan on Feb 28, 2007 20:34:47 GMT -5
Rondo hits a jumper. Knicks turn it over. Scal hits a DEEP 3. Knicks miss and PP gets the weak side rebound. Al misses on the baseline but is fouled by Frye. He hits the first and misses the second. Knicks rebound. Rose travels as he goes into the lane. Rondo with a great psss to Scal who goes back door for a dunk. Knicks miss and Gomes rebounds. Rondo goes to teh basket and misses a layup. Knicks rebound. Rose takes it in for a layup. Al hits a jumper. Al called for his second foul. Time out with Celtics up 50-28 and 2:41 left in the half
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Marbury misses a jumper and Perk rebounds. Gomes hits a jumper. Curry misses a jumper over Perk but Collins is there for the rebound and put back. Green takes it to the basket and draws a foul on Collins. He hits both FTs. Scal with a block. Green misses a 3 and Frye rebounds. Tavelling called on Richardson. Time out with Celtics up 40-26 and 5:46 left in the half.