The Celtics are Nasty!

[Nors]

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.

Stoudamire was available for a reason,
3-11 today hurt Spurs

 

[Biggems]

Syoudamire was available for a reason,
3-11 today hurt Spurs

it doesnt help when the Spurs are consistently called for touch fouls and yet the Spurs are getting beat down and not being allowed to get to the FT line.

my beef with Pop is the lack of Horry in the second half. He has been playing well the last 3-4 games....I feel he should have seen more minutes in the second half.

 

[MC KAos]

Big Baby manned up and held his own with Parker 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 RB 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.

i dont really like oberto, but he is cheap and every once in a while plays good. Ginobili is a beast, but he plays better when parker is in the lineup, they all play better when they are all there. The celtics will do good in the playoffs IMO, but they cant beat the pistons in a seven game series deep in the playoffs, its just not gonna happen, im sorry. they have way too much experience and way too many clutch players, i wouldnt be too confident if the spurs played them!

Syoudamire was available for a reason,
3-11 today hurt Spurs

huh?

it doesnt help when the Spurs are consistently called for touch fouls and yet the Spurs are getting beat down and not being allowed to get to the FT line.

my beef with Pop is the lack of Horry in the second half. He has been playing well the last 3-4 games....I feel he should have seen more minutes in the second half.

ya, but pop doesnt like to overplay robert, and with 3 games in 4 nights, pop was probably just looking ahead to games coming up where he might be more effective, like against toronto tomorrow

 

[Nors]

it doesnt help when the Spurs are consistently called for touch fouls and yet the Spurs are getting beat down and not being allowed to get to the FT line.

my beef with Pop is the lack of Horry in the second half. He has been playing well the last 3-4 games....I feel he should have seen more minutes in the second half.

Horry has a lot of rings for a reason. Refs didn't make the difference. Celtics were in control after the late second half run to end half.

 

[Nors]

Boston 98, San Antonio 90

Preview - Box Score - Recap

By JIMMY GOLEN, AP Sports Writer
February 10, 2008

AP - Feb 10, 2:25 pm EST
More Photos


BOSTON (AP) -- Paul Pierce scored 35 points, Ray Allen had 19, and Rajon Rondo had 12 assists and 11 rebounds Sunday as the Boston Celtics beat the streaking San Antonio Spurs 98-90.

The Celtics improved to 5-2 since Kevin Garnett went out with an abdominal strain, and they'd better get used to it: Coach Doc Rivers said before the game that he isn't expecting his big man back before next weekend's All-Star break. The Celtics are also 16-0 against Western Conference teams.

Tim Duncan had 22 points, 14 rebounds and six assists, and Manu Ginobili scored 21 for the Spurs, who lost for the first time in five games. San Antonio got within four points in the final minute, but twice Ginobili was forced to take off-balance, heavily guarded 3-point attempts; neither one was close.

With Boston leading 92-87 and under 20 seconds left, Ginobili was hacked while trying a 3, but no foul was called and Rondo came up with his second big rebound of the final minute. Rondo made both free throws after he was fouled, then Michael Finley made a 3-pointer to make it 94-90.

But Tony Allen made a pair of free throws, and Ginobili again couldn't get a clean look at a 3.

Glen "Big Baby" Davis had nine points and eight rebounds while guarding Duncan.

 

[Biggems]

Horry has a lot of rings for a reason. Refs didn't make the difference. Celtics were in control after the late second half run to end half.

in control? the Spurs tied the game late and also if Finley makes the 3, its tied with 30 seconds left.

and the refs did make a difference. The Spurs couldnt buy a trip to the FT line. They attacked the basket too...but the Celtics had a 34 to 13 FT edge...I will take away 6 FTs since they were intentionally fouled several times in the last 30 seconds....so a 28-13 edge.....That is a complete joke. the home cookin was awfully good for the Celts.

you watch, on March 17, the Spurs will not get anywhere near the kind of home cookin the Celtics got tonight.

so despite the onesided officiating, the Spurs had a chance to tie the game with that Finley 3. Gotta love the tenacity of the Spurs.....even when it is 8 on 5 they find ways to keep it close.

 

[Nors]

All I heard was Rodeo circuit and we could not beat the Spurs, Mavs all season long. Well we did it and now are 16-0 against West.

Keep believing what amounts to excuses on refs. Yes, we were in control and don't think ever trailed in 2nd half. If's, shoulda coulda woulda don't count on scoreboard.

We were on the FT line because we were constantly attacking the hoop. Spurs game is Duncan on the block and kickout shots. That is why not many fouls today. Big Baby played outstanding man up on Duncan with little double team.

Rondo, Allen, Pierce attacked your defense all game long. Great win for Celts today. This is a team that matches up very well with the West.

 

[Biggems]

All I heard was Rodeo circuit and we could not beat the Spurs, Mavs all season long. Well we did it and know 16-0 against West.

Keep believing what amounts to excuses on refs. Yes, we were in control and don't think ever trailed in 2nd half. If's, shoulda coulda woulda don't count on scoreboard.

We were on the FT line because we were constantly attacking the hoop. Spurs game is Duncan on the block and kickout shots. That is why not many fouls today.

Rondo, Allen, Pierce attacked your defense all game long. Great win for Celts today.

we attacked also, but the refs wouldnt blow the whistle....it was quite comical at the patheticness of the lack of calls. but that is how it goes when u go to Boston. You have to play that team and the officials.......either the Celts, Pats, or even the Red Sox......

 

[Biggems]

the sad thing is, your homerism is so blatant that you cant even acknowledge that you got the benefit of the calls.

just as the Giants fans cant see they got the benefit of the calls against us.....or the steelers against the seahawks...

 

[Nors]

true, but that team was not playing anywhere near as well as they are playing now, and jackson had only played 2 games at the time. Its easy to see that the celtics are a good team, but they havent beaten an elite team yet and wont be playing one for a while, so you cant put them in that category until we see how they do against an elite team.

We have beaten most every elite team now and its near mid February.

Game on - and we are resting Garnett!

 

[Nors]

the sad thing is, your homerism is so blatant that you cant even acknowledge that you got the benefit of the calls.

just as the Giants fans cant see they got the benefit of the calls against us.....or the steelers against the seahawks...

Or you are in denial the Celtics served the Spurs on national TV! Pierce abused Bowen and you defense had no answers. Rondo and Big Baby had big games. The better team won today.

Excuses

 

[Biggems]

Or you are in denial the Celtics served the Spurs on national TV! Pierce abused Bowen and you defense had no answers. Rondo and Big Baby had big games. The better team won today.

Excuses

the team with the better record won today.

Pierce was awesome today....he is invaluable. I say this. The Celtics are lucky it is Garnett on the shelf instead of Pierce. If Pierce were hurt instead, I don't see the Celtics being nearly as successful.

 

[Nors]

odds are Pierce and Garnett will be there in Playoffs.

Choose your poison

 

[MC KAos]

i dont know what the hell you keep talking bout the celtics being in control and "serving" the spurs nors. it was a close game throughout and and the celtics only had a 1 possesion lead with less than a minute and the spurs with the ball. its a close win, you didnt dominate anything unless you count the buffet that davis eat at before the game.

as for the refs, i think some calls went against the spurs and it was defently a little one sided towards the celtics but it didnt affect the game that much IMO, the spurs could have won this game at the end.

btw the celtics were trying their hardest out there, it was hillarious, its just a regular season game. the spurs were just playing like a regular game, they werent even giving mavs/suns games effort. On the other hand, the celtics couldnt have played any better.

 

[MC KAos]

odds are Pierce and Garnett will be there in Playoffs.

Choose your poison

odds are the finals MVP and one of the most accurate 3 point shooters in the league will be there in the playoffs, its a good win, but it still just the regular season.

 

[Nors]

i dont know what the hell you keep talking bout the celtics being in control and "serving" the spurs nors. it was a close game throughout and and the celtics only had a 1 possesion lead with less than a minute and the spurs with the ball. its a close win, you didnt dominate anything unless you count the buffet that davis eat at before the game.

as for the refs, i think some calls went against the spurs and it was defently a little one sided towards the celtics but it didnt affect the game that much IMO, the spurs could have won this game at the end.

btw the celtics were trying their hardest out there, it was hillarious, its just a regular season game. the spurs were just playing like a regular game, they werent even giving mavs/suns games effort. On the other hand, the celtics couldnt have played any better.

Keep making buffet jokeas about Big Baby - he manned up on Duncan very effectively. As I said before, after we took the lead in late 2nd we never trailed in the game.

Glad your team doesn't feel a need to give it's all in games.

Or flat out we beat you. 39-9 and two months ago you said you were waiting for us to beat Spurs and Mavs. Well we done that and this rodeo is near over.

Celtics are to be reckoned with. Our 16-0 record versus West is now validated. Great win without our starting Center and Garnett today. Umberto and Bowen are serious liabilities for you guys.....

 

[MC KAos]

Keep making buffet jokeas about Big Baby - he manned up on Duncan very effectively. As I said before, after we took the lead in late 2nd we never trailed in the game.

Glad your team doesn't feel a need to give it's all in games.

Or flat out we beat you. 39-9 and two months ago you said you were waiting for us to beat Spurs and Mavs. Well we done that and this rodeo is near over.

Celtics are to be reckoned with. Our 16-0 record versus West is now validated. Great win without our starting Center and Garnett today. Umberto and Bowen are serious liabilities for you guys.....

its Oberto, and great win without the mavs/spurs starting PGs, im giving the celtics credit, they are a good team, but they arent gonna get past the conference finals in the playoffs, not enough expirience and too many poor playoff performing stars (garnett and allen). you better hope pierce carries your team if you want to be succesfull in the playoffs, and frankly, i wouldnt bet against him, hes a beast, but the other "big two" are choke artists.

 

[Nors]

its Oberto, and great win without the mavs/spurs starting PGs, im giving the celtics credit, they are a good team, but they arent gonna get past the conference finals in the playoffs, not enough expirience and too many poor playoff performing stars (garnett and allen). you better hope pierce carries your team if you want to be succesfull in the playoffs, and frankly, i wouldnt bet against him, hes a beast, but the other "big two" are choke artists.

we beat you man up without Garnett and Perkins. Many great players in all sports did not win championships. Back to 2001 Yankee's overconfidence thing I see.

 

[MC KAos]

we beat you man up without Garnett and Perkins. Many great players in all sports did not win championships. Back to 2001 Yankee's overconfidence thing I see.

Spurs 78, Cavaliers 82

Recap Box Score Play-By-Play Shot Chart Conversation

1 2 3 4 T SAS (23-9) 21 19 10 28 78 CLE (18-12) 21 12 11 38 82 Final



7:00 PM ET, January 2, 2007
Quicken Loans Arena
Cleveland, OH


Cavs continue home dominance by beating Spurs

Team Stat Comparison
SAN ANTONIO CLEVELAND Points 78 82 FG Made-Attempted 28-73 (.384) 27-75 (.360) 3P Made-Attempted 5-19 (.263) 7-18 (.389) FT Made-Attempted 17-20 (.850) 21-34 (.618) Rebounds (Offensive-Total) 9-45 11-44 Assists 14 16 Turnovers 17 14 Steals 8 12 Blocks 4 8 Fast Break Points 19 9 Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) 26 (0/0) 17 (1/0) Largest Lead 11 9
Top Performers SAN ANTONIO CLEVELAND T. Parker
Points: 26
Reb: 3
Ast: 3
Stl: 2
Blk: 1
L. Hughes
Points: 18
Reb: 5
Ast: 5
Stl: 3
Blk: 0

Game Leaders SAN ANTONIOCLEVELANDPointsT. Parker 26L. James 19ReboundsT. Duncan 15Z. Ilgauskas 13AssistsM. Ginobili 3L. James 5StealsT. Parker 2E. Snow 4BlocksT. Duncan 2Z. Ilgauskas 3· Team stats: San Antonio | Cleveland
2006-07 Season Cleveland leads 2-0 Nov 3, 2006 CLE 88, @SA 81Recap | Box Score >Jan 2, 2007 @CLE 82, SA 78Recap | Box Score
Next 5 Games SAN ANTONIO (ET) CLEVELAND (ET) 01/03 @MIN 8:00pm
01/05 DAL 8:00pm
01/07 @MEM 4:00pm
01/09 POR 8:00pm
01/10 @DEN 9:00pm
01/03 @BOS 7:30pm
01/05 @MIL 8:30pm
01/06 NJ 7:30pm
01/09 @SAC 10:00pm
01/11 @PHO 10:30pm
· Complete Schedule: San Antonio | Cleveland

CLEVELAND (AP) -- For three quarters, defenses dominated. In the final one, chaos ruled.
LeBron James scored 19 points, Larry Hughes added 18 -- 13 in the fourth -- and the Cleveland Cavaliers smothered and frustrated San Antonio from end to end during a rugged 82-78 win over the Spurs on Tuesday night.Hughes hit three 3-pointers in the fourth and Damon Jones scored eight points in the final 1:35 as the Cavs, who have struggled on the road, improved to 14-3 at home and beat the Spurs for the second time this season.They did so by harassing San Antonio all 94 feet, holding the NBA's second-most accurate shooting team to just 38 percent from the field, a season-low 28 field goals and only 10 points in the third quarter.After scoring just 44 points in the first three periods, the Cavaliers scored 38 in the final 12 minutes."Somehow, someway, we stayed with it," said Cleveland coach Mike Brown, a defensive guru who learned about stops and schemes as an assistant under San Antonio's Gregg Popovich. "We all showed grit. We won the game the right way."Jones scored all 11 of his points in the fourth, and Anderson Varejao added seven rebounds, including four on the offensive end when he outhustled and outmuscled San Antonio's big men under the basket.Tony Parker led the Spurs with 26 points -- 14 in the fourth -- and Tim Duncan had 18 points and 15 rebounds.San Antonio played the final six minutes without Popovich, who was assessed two technical fouls and ejected following a wild sequence that began with Duncan complaining about contact. Assistant coach P.J. Carlesimo ran the club down the stretch."I felt there was an inconsistent whistle," said Duncan, who finished 6-of-15. "They got more points at a time which calls and shots were starting to go their way."Despite shooting just 36 percent from the floor, the Cavaliers won their third straight over the Spurs, the first time they've done that since 1988."It's big for us," Hughes said. "I've never been on a team that beat those guys twice. It's definitely good to beat a Western Conference power a couple times."Maybe it was the return of the old ball or maybe it was just good old-fashioned defense, but neither team could get its offense untracked as the Spurs entered the fourth holding a 50-44 lead.The Cavaliers finally started to find their range and caught the Spurs at 52-all when Hughes drained a 3-pointer while being fouled by Manu Ginobli with 9:45 remaining. Cleveland pushed its lead to 64-59 on two free throws by Varejan San Antonio's next possession, Duncan had his shot down low blocked by Donyell Marshall, and as the teams left the floor for a timeout, the Spurs' center pleaded his case for a foul to referee Kevin Fehr, who didn't want to hear it.That's when an enraged Popovich got involved. With his assistants running after him, Popovich bolted onto the floor, sidestepping the Cavs' mascot, Moondog, near midcourt as he sprinted in the direction of Fehr, who immediately tossed him and gave another technical to Carlesimo."I wanted to make it easy for him because that can be embarrassing for an official if he's not sure if you want to go or not," Popovich said. "I thought he did a great job."Jones made two of three free throws and the incident seemed to fire up the Cavs, who went up 73-67 on Jones' jumper with 1:35 to go. James then missed the second of two free throws, but Varejao's aggressiveness caused Duncan to tip the ball out of bounds.Jones then made the Spurs pay by hitting a 3-pointer to make it 76-67.Parker kept San Antonio close by making four driving layups in the final 45 seconds, but the Cavs hung on despite making just 6-of-10 free throws.Game notes
James doesn't rate his dunks so he wouldn't put a number on his soaring slam over Duncan when the teams played on Nov. 3. However, he'd love a copy of the poster if there was one. "I'd put it in my son's room," he said. ... Marshall strained his neck in the fourth quarter. ... The Cavs play nine of their next 10 on the road. ... Popovich believes the hubbub over the return of the old ball will quickly fade. "It's just like the dress-code complaints -- they'll go away," he said. ... Parker's fiancee, actress Eva Longoria, attended the game. ... The Cavs are 21-6 the past two seasons when Hughes scores at least 15. ... Duncan has 18 double-doubles this season.

 

[MC KAos]

Cavaliers 88, Spurs 81
Recap Box Score Play-By-Play Shot Chart Conversation
1 2 3 4 T
CLE (2-0) 23 20 19 26 88
SAS (1-1) 18 18 20 25 81
Final
8:00 PM ET, November 3, 2006
AT&T Center
San Antonio, TX
LeBron, Cavs stop Duncan, Spurs in big early matchup
Video Highlights
Team Stat Comparison
CLEVELAND SAN ANTONIO
Points 88 81
FG Made-Attempted 33-74 (.446) 29-69 (.420)
3P Made-Attempted 4-9 (.444) 5-15 (.333)
FT Made-Attempted 18-30 (.600) 18-34 (.529)
Rebounds (Offensive-Total) 8-49 5-40
Assists 16 16
Turnovers 11 12
Steals 6 2
Blocks 5 2
Fast Break Points 10 9
Fouls (Tech/Flagrant) 29 (0/1) 24 (0/0)
Largest Lead 13 5
Top Performers
CLEVELAND SAN ANTONIO
L. James
Points: 35
Reb: 10
Ast: 4
Stl: 1
Blk: 1
T. Duncan
Points: 25
Reb: 12
Ast: 5
Stl: 0
Blk: 1
Game Leaders
CLEVELAND SAN ANTONIO
Points L. James 35 T. Duncan 25
Rebounds Z. Ilgauskas 11 T. Duncan 12
Assists E. Snow 6 T. Duncan 5
Steals L. Hughes 2 B. Bowen 1
Blocks D. Gooden 1 T. Duncan 1
· Team stats: Cleveland | San Antonio
2006-07 Season
Cleveland leads 2-0
>Nov 3, 2006 CLE 88, @SA 81 Recap | Box Score
Jan 2, 2007 @CLE 82, SA 78 Recap | Box Score
Next 5 Games
CLEVELAND (ET) SAN ANTONIO (ET)
11/04 @CHA 7:00pm
11/07 ATL 7:00pm
11/09 CHI 8:00pm
11/11 BOS 7:30pm
11/13 @NY 7:30pm
11/05 @TOR 1:00pm
11/06 @NY 7:30pm
11/08 PHO 8:00pm
11/11 NY 8:00pm
11/14 @HOU 8:30pm
· Complete Schedule: Cleveland | San Antonio

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- LeBron James dunked over Tim Duncan with a snarl, an early statement of a rugged night. And by the time it was over, the Cleveland Cavaliers got out of San Antonio with their first win in the Alamo City since 1988.

Elias Says
Cleveland Cavaliers
Cleveland defeated the Spurs 88-81 giving the Cavaliers their first win in San Antonio since Dec. 8, 1988. That was so long ago, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar was still an active NBA player in that season. The Cavs' drought of 17 years, 330 days between wins on the road against one opponent was the longest current drought and the fifth-longest for any team in NBA history. The record is 19 years, 81 days between wins by Washington at Seattle (from Jan. 1980 to March 1999).

• For more Elias Says, Click here.

James scored 35 points, hitting a key layup and free throw late in the fourth to help snuff a San Antonio rally and lead the Cavaliers to an 88-81 victory Friday night.

"I was 4 years old the last time we beat San Antonio," in the Spurs' hometown, James said. "I think for us to become one of the powerhouses which we've been preaching, we've got to go out there and walk the walk."

But James' night wasn't as easy as it might have looked when he powered over Duncan for the early slam and scored 15 points in the first quarter.

The Spurs, one of the most dominant homecourt teams in the NBA, slashed a 13-point deficit in the fourth down to four and might have won if not for a dismal 18-of-34 effort shooting free throws.

"I wish I had a nickel for every time somebody asked me if free throws are a concern," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. They have "always been an Achilles' heel."

Duncan finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds and scored 14 points in a five-minute span to spark the rally. But he struggled badly from the line, going 9-of-19.

"I've shot a million free throws over the summer," Duncan said. "But it's nothing like actually getting in a game, banging around and then having to calm yourself down."

James, who missed five consecutive shots in the Spurs' rally, hit the layup then made one of two free throws for an 86-79 lead with 42 seconds left. His outlet pass for a dunk by Larry Hughes, who had 18 points, finished it off.

"We showed poise down the stretch," James said. "They made a run and we were able to withstand it."

James, who scored 44 points in a game against the Spurs last season, started strong Friday night against Spurs defensive specialist Bruce Bowen.

The Spurs managed to quiet James in the second quarter, holding him to four points, but couldn't find an offensive rhythm to take the lead. Duncan and spark-plug guard Tony Parker were mostly quiet, combining for 10 points.

James finished the half with a highlight layup, again driving past Duncan for an off-balance shot that he finished with a giddy-up dance in front of the Cavaliers' bench.

"He was fantastic," Popovich said. "He's a physical specimen and that's the least of his attributes."

Cleveland led 62-56 going into the fourth. James started the final period on the bench but sloppy play by the Spurs helped the Cavs stretch the lead to 69-56 with free throws and a 3-pointer by Hughes.

When James started missing, the Spurs started their comeback when Duncan hit a free throw and a dunk.

James said he had known about the Cavaliers' long streak of frustration in San Antonio.

"I think for the franchise, it's great to get that off your back," he said. "This is a great win for us. The Spurs are the best team in the league."

The Spurs have lost only 19 times on their home court since 2003, but two have come in the last two games. The Spurs lost to Dallas in Game 7 of the Western Conference semifinals last season.

The Spurs, who beat Dallas in their season-opener, are in the middle of four games in five days.

"It's kind of tough," guard Manu Ginobili said. "You're a little rusty and your legs are not the same as January or February."

Game notes
Before the game, Spurs F Robert Horry spoke to the crowd and pledged to try to win another NBA championship. The Spurs lost to Dallas in the Western Conference semifinals last season. "We'd like to welcome you to another edition of the Spurs show," he said. ... The Spurs signed G-F James White on Friday. White averaged 3.8 points and 2.0 rebounds in eight preseason games with Indiana. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.