blogsketball

There’s nothing better than waking up Sunday morning and turning on the TV to watch a nationally broadcast game. Actually, if KG were back in the lineup, that’d make it a lot better. The big guy has been out a handful of games, but was shown in the pre-game going through a workout this morning. Soon, young grasshopper fans, soon.

First quarter:
Shootout!  Paul Pierce and Manu Ginobli bomb threes to get things going. Pierce scores 14 in the opening frame, and Manu keeps pace with 13.

Second quarter:
Both teams continue to light it up from the field. Eddie Hous is bombing away, Udoka from the Spurs, and Tim Duncan’s plugging away on the inside as usual.

It’s time for a Tim Duncan rant. A lot of people hate the Spurs, but I’m not one of them. People complain that Tim Duncan is boring as hell, doing the same thing every night: Catch the ball, square up, shoot it off the glass and run down the court staring into oblivion. I’ve got no problem with that. I could watch that sequence over and over again (I do, actually, every time the Spurs are on TV). People say the Spurs are a boring team, since their offence centres around Duncan doing these boring things. I couldn’t disagree more. San Antonio’s offence is a thing of beauty. They move the ball quickly and flawlessly. They’re efficient and because of that, they’re deadly.

All of that said, Tim Duncan is the whiniest f*cking player I’ve ever seen on a basketball court in my life. If he misses, if his team doesn’t get a rebound, if he has the ball stolen from him (anything that would hurt his player efficiency rating, really), he screams at the refs, chasing them back down the court pleading his case. If b*tching and moaning were added into the PER, Duncan would drop down to around 10.

Anyway, Boston is up at the half, 43–41.

Third quarter 
GMC has a new ad where they have a truck driving up the side of a building. Of course, they write “fictionalization” at the bottom of the screen. When the truck gets to the top of the building, it flies up into the air, stops then faces downward and drives down the other side of the building. Then it flies off onto another building, and now it’s flying around the city. Finally, it lands on the roof of a skyscraper. Somewhere, an ad agency and the people at GMC thought this was a good idea. Back to the game.

Remember when Jacques Vaughn was a star pg at Kansas?

Scalabrine dunk after the whistle! No bucket. The next time down the floor, he drives and dishes in the air to…no one. Where’s Paul Pierce?

There he is with a trey and a scowl for your ass. Celt’s by five.

ABC/ESPN has been using that stupid wire camera way too much in the game. It’s an artsy shot, but unless the ball’s on the side of the court with the camera, you’re missing out on everything that’s happening before the shot goes up.

Scalabrine tries to draw a charge on Duncan in the halfcourt when TD doesn’t have the ball. Scalabrine flops, Duncan catches the ball under the hoop and Scalabrine is back just in time to foul him for the three-point play. He makes up for it with a running hook shot in the paint. The albino-looking Celtic is making the third quarter his, for better or for worse.

Ray Allen triple! Celts back up by five.

Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will jack a shot up from anywhere on the court at any time. Doesn’t matter how many hands are in their faces, they’re shooting it if they want to. You’ve got to love that kind of confidence. But Scalabrine shouldn’t have it.

Scalabrine airball. Slow your roll, my friend.

Ray Allen drives into a sea of black jerseys and pops a shot over them to make it a seven-point lead. Duncan answers back with his 14th point in the game.

In the last two Celt’s games I’ve watched, Rajon Rondo has done this move where he drives through the key, fakes an around the back  pass and lays the ball in with his right hand. It’s a convincing fake, the defender bites on it every time. Haven’t seen it yet today.

Mike Finley is in the game for San Antonio and is firing away like he’s Scalabrine but with pedigree.

Duncan goes glass, misses, bitches.

Rondo drives, no fakes, just straight at Finley. Charge. He takes a seat with three points, nine boards and 11 assists already, tying his career high.

Duncan comes back with a running hook. Ball’s in your court Scalabrine.

Finley drives and scores on an acrobatic reverse. Scalabrine takes notes from the bench.

Technical foul! On…Ray Allen? They show a replay…he didn’t do anything. Maybe it was Posey. A couple free throws and a Manu step back from 15 and it’s a one-point game.

Celts run a fantastic halfcourt set and find Big Baby Glen Davis under the hoop. And-1 on my main man Fabricio Oberto. The lead is four.

The C’s are rolling. Posey triple makes it a seven point game after three, 68–61 Boston.

Fourth Quarter (AKA BOSS LEVEL)
Paul Pierce opens it up with a trey. We’ve got a ten-point game.

Oberto hits a 15-footer. Has anyone seen this guy’s beard?

This is impressive. The Celts are on their way to knocking off another Western powerhouse without KG in the lineup. Maybe I’m speaking too soon.

Damon Stoudamire is in the game for San Antonio. He checked in in the first half and looked completely lost. He bobbled a pass off of Tim Duncan’s leg, got it back and laid it in. Stoudamire turnover on the next play leads to a Boston 2-on-1 and Tony Allen going to the line.

Stoudamire is running an ugly show for the Spurs. He hits a three to keep them hanging around, but Tony Allen scores again in transition and is fouled. The lead stays at nine.

The Spurs finally have a possession where they look like their old selves. Four passes around the perimeter end up in a Bruce Bowen three. Six point game.

Back to back Boston turnovers. Fret not Spurs fans named Danny. It’s not over. San Antonio’s about to make a run.

Out of the timeout, Boston gets a 3-on-1 and Pierce scores.

Finley triple cuts this down to five.

Pierce is wide open from 15 and scores his 33rd point.

Duncan and-1 down low, with the free throw it’s a four point game.

SA give and go and now all of a sudden it’s a two-point game.

This commercial is fantastic. “You ain’t in no tunnel!”

Out of the break, Big Baby gets a big offensive rebound and scores to double the lead. Duncan answers back to make it a two point game with three minutes to go.

Ray Allen lefty layup. I told him about that. We’re down to the point of the game where every possession counts. Tim Duncan shoves Paul Pierce out of the way for an offensive board, he tries to pass it out and Pierce steals it. His free throws make it a six-point lead.

Duncan will shoot free throws to cut it to five and we’re under two minutes.

Jeff Van Gundy says Boston has a nasty edge.

Manu triple! Two point game again with 1:24 to go.

Van Gundy and Mike Breen are heaping praise on Glen Davis, who gets fouled on the next possession. Three point game.

Finley’s trey rattles in and out with 35 seconds to go. Pierce misses and Rondo gets the offensive board. Ray Allen is shooting free throws, both good and it’s a five-point game with 22 seconds left.

Manu forces up an ugly as hell shot, leaning in looking for contact, gets nothing. Rondo gets the baord and is at the line where he’ll put this thing away. Six point game.

Three ball from an Air Jordan 15-wearing Michael Finley! Lead is four.

Tony Allen’s ensuing free throws make it six. Ginobli looking to draw the foul again and he just shoots the ball out of bounds. Stupid play. I hate that sh*t. Davis free throws will ice it.

98–90 Celts win. With that, the Celts are 16-0 against the Western Conference this  year.