The Celtics are Nasty!

[MC KAos]

If the Spurs pass the Celtics, they get HCA if the two meet in the Finals.....But the Spurs have shown to be pretty darn good on the road come playoff time during their Championship run.

HCA would fo sho be more important for the celtics than it would be to the spurs. however, i dont see the spurs catching the celtics because for one, the spurs dont really care about it, and two, the celtics play in a crappy conference with a bunch of jv teams. This is all irrelevant anyway seeing as the celtics wont make it to the finals.

 

[Nors]

Celtics still up on Spurs 7 in loss column.

No KG and we were able to rest Allen and Pierce in 4th. Nice win at home. Rondo is going to be an All Star - someday soon. Big Baby and Powe are a nice nucleus of inside young talent.

Game 5 sans KG, Rondo leads Celtics past Clippers 111-100

Preview - Box Score - Recap

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
February 6, 2008


BOSTON (AP) -- Rajon Rondo scored a career-high 24 points to go with eight assists and five rebounds, coming back from a flagrant foul that knocked him to the floor and bloodied his nose to lead the Boston Celtics to a 111-100 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night.

A night after losing by one point in overtime to Cleveland, the Celtics avoided a losing streak despite missing All-Star Kevin Garnett for the fifth straight game. The rest of Boston's starters got some time off, too, sitting out all but the final minute of the fourth quarter while the reserves handled the Pacific Division-trailing Clippers.

Ray Allen scored 19 and Paul Pierce had 15, with reserve Leon Powe adding 13 points and 10 rebounds. Boston plays Minnesota -- a.k.a. the Western Celtics -- on Friday, likely without Garnett, the player obtained from the Timberwolves in the summer's blockbuster seven-for-one trade.

Corey Maggette had 33 points and eight rebounds and sub Cuttino Mobley scored 16 for the Clippers, who beat the New York Knicks on Monday night to snap a nine-game road losing streak. Los Angeles played the second half without Sam Cassell, who was ejected after flattening Rondo late in the first half.

Rondo was dominating Cassell on the floor -- especially in the second quarter, when the Boston point guard scored 12 points. He stole the ball twice in a 60-second span, and that might have been going through Cassell's mind when Rondo drove to the basket with 2:54 left in the first half.

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Cassell came in from the side and raked his forearm across Rondo's face, knocking him to the floor. Cassell was called for a flagrant foul, and after reviewing the videotape the officials ejected him.

It was an odd move for a player who was quoted in the morning's Boston Globe practically begging for his contract to be bought out so he could join the Celtics. If he can break free from his $6.15 million deal with the Clippers, the 38-year-old point guard might have to start off by apologizing to the guy he would be backing up.

Rondo came out for the free throw with cotton stuffed in his right nostril to stop it from bleeding. But he didn't show an ill-effects on the floor, reaching his career high with a pair of free throws after re-entering with the starters in the final minute.

Pierce scored the first nine points to give Boston a 9-0 lead with 9:26 left in the first quarter, but the Clippers came back almost as easily and made it 11-9. Los Angeles took the lead late in the first and made it 29-25 on Ross' long 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Boston had another 9-0 run in the second quarter and opened a 59-48 lead on Tony Allen's layup in the final seconds of the half.

Again, the Clippers came back, cutting the deficit to three points, 84-81, at the end of three.

But Boston's subs scored the first three baskets of the fourth quarter to take a 90-81 lead, and the Clippers never got closer than five points.

 

[MC KAos]

rondo an allstar, HA.

 

[Nors]

Kids a world of talent and a big part of why we are what 37-9 now. Laugh at Rondo all you want but we warned this young kid has game.

I'll go on record he makes an All Star game in his career.

 

[Biggems]

Kids a world of talent and a big part of why we are what 37-9 now. Laugh at Rondo all you want but we warned this young kid has game.

I'll go on record he makes an All Star game in his career.

Rondo is playing very well....he has definitely started living up to the hype from when he was drafted.

 

[MC KAos]

Kids a world of talent and a big part of why we are what 37-9 now. Laugh at Rondo all you want but we warned this young kid has game.

I'll go on record he makes an All Star game in his career.

im sure he will, all the guard talent is in the west, but he isnt gonna be a top tier PG, maybe like a derek fisher

 

[Nors]

im sure he will, all the guard talent is in the west, but he isnt gonna be a top tier PG, maybe like a derek fisher

I'm impressed at how athletic he is, and the poise to run the offense with the big 3. Kid has leaps 2 and will take you to hole. He has to work on his defense against the elite for sure.

I can see a triple double guy in Rondo down the line. He went up tonight and pulled down a few rebounds skying over the big boys.

 

[MC KAos]

I'm impressed at how athletic he is, and the poise to run the offense with the big 3. Kid has leaps 2 and will take you to hole. He has to work on his defense against the elite for sure.

I can see a triple double guy in Rondo down the line. He went up tonight and pulled down a few rebounds skying over the big boys.

athletic is good but there is more that goes into being a great point guard, only time will tell. Anyone is capable of developing into a great player in the right situation and with the right coaching (see steve nash, who five years ago wasnt sniffing the hall of fame)

 

[Biggems]

im sure he will, all the guard talent is in the west, but he isnt gonna be a top tier PG, maybe like a derek fisher

Kidd, Carter, Wade, Johnson, Redd, Calderon, Ford, Gordon, Hinrich, Allen, Arenas, Iguodala, Nelson, Billups, Hamilton, Rondo, Wallace.....The East has it's fair share of talent, do not discount their guard talent.

 

[MC KAos]

Kidd, Carter, Wade, Johnson, Redd, Calderon, Ford, Gordon, Hinrich, Allen, Arenas, Iguodala, Nelson, Billups, Hamilton, Rondo, Wallace.....The East has it's fair share of talent, do not discount their guard talent.

the top guards in the west collectively are MUCH better than that group, and thats whats really gonna matter when it comes to all star rosters. who are the top young point guards in the east? whomever they are, they are nothing compared to the trio of paul/williams/parker.

and speaking of the west, with a five game loosing streak, you could go from top seed to out of the playoffs right now! its ridiculous, all the teams in the playoffs right now are winning over 60% of their games

 

[MC KAos]

i just saw the highlights of the celtics game, and i dont think the celtics are gonna want to sign cassell after the way he was acting! rondo showed maturity though by not retaliating

 

[David276]

ehh they barely beat the mavs . it was tied in the last minute and rondo made a clutch rebound. dont give me the no garnet mavs have been without harris who is now obviously (and unforchanetly ) their best point guard and stackhouse who is a key player when he actually trys ( see late feb through june)

 

[Nors]

i just saw the highlights of the celtics game, and i dont think the celtics are gonna want to sign cassell after the way he was acting! rondo showed maturity though by not retaliating

Rondo was driving by Cassell at will, Casell went flagrant foul out of frustration and was tossed out of game.

 

[MC KAos]

Rondo was driving by Cassell at will, Casell went flagrant foul out of frustration and was tossed out of game.

ya, he was acting the young player without any expirience. it was uncalled for and ridiculous

 

[MC KAos]

paul pierce is better than garnett

 

[Biggems]

Celts won......

they made their FTs and got the clutch rebounds when it counted.....

I still say the calls were very onesided, but the Spurs had their chances....the ending is much different if Finley's 3 doesnt go in and out.

 

[Nors]

39-9

Pierce showed he can flat out carry a team when he has to.

Rondo and BigBaby had great games with a National Audience. At some point the West doubters have to see that the Celtics are for real and a real threat.

 

[MC KAos]

the only thing that scares me about glen davis is that he might eat tony parker

nah, but its a good win for the celtics, i still dont think those young players are gonna perform well under pressure in the playoffs

 

[MC KAos]

Celts won......

they made their FTs and got the clutch rebounds when it counted.....

I still say the calls were very onesided, but the Spurs had their chances....the ending is much different if Finley's 3 doesnt go in and out.

ya, i feel the same way bout the refs, but i do realize im biased. that last shot goes in, we win that game, but the basketball gods didnt want us to win this game, oh well. we are starting to play better every game and when parker comes back our offense will return to being efficient and we will protect the ball better, which has been a problem since he's been out.

 

[Nors]

the only thing that scares me about glen davis is that he might eat tony parker

nah, but its a good win for the celtics, i still dont think those young players are gonna perform well under pressure in the playoffs

Big Baby manned up and held his own with Duncan and reality is he was playing 33 minutes because Starters Perkins and Garnett did not play. He put up 8 points and 9 RB's and had a body on Duncan all game.

Rondo had 11 Rebounds and 12 assists, kid is an amazing ReBounder for a PG. If someone has Tivo go watch that last rebound - he looked a foot + over rim snaring it in the paint.

Will they do it in playoffs? With Pierce, Allen, Garnett around them its a foolish bet to think they will not.

My Spurs analysis:
Duncan is what he is great. Gnobili will nail open shots but I felt after the game that Umberto and Bowen are total liabilities out there. No offense and they were abused all game on defensive end. I looked up the +- for the game and Bowen was -11 and Umberto was -13. Suprisingly Ginobili was -11

I'm proud of the effort the Celtics showed today. Pierce also showed that Spurs may not have an answer to stop him.