GAME THREAD: GAME THREAD: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

<h3>Celtics host Raptors seeking fifth straight win</h3>

Toronto (10-9) at Boston (15-2) 7:30 pm EST


BOSTON (Ticker) -- The Toronto Raptors finished 2006-07 as thesurprise winners of the Atlantic Division. The Raptors will behard-pressed to repeat this season with Kevin Garnett in Boston.

Garnett and the Atlantic Division-leading Boston Celtics go fortheir fifth straight win Friday when they host the Raptors.

After getting off to a slow start last season, Toronto clearlywas the division's dominant team throughout the campaign. TheRaptors finished with a 47-35 record and the first divisiontitle in franchise history.


But the balance of power changed in the division when Bostonacquired Garnett and fellow All-Star Ray Allen via a pair ofoffseason trades.


The preseason favorite to win the Atlantic and the EasternConference, Boston has not disappointed, winning 15 of its first17 games en route to a comfortable six-game division lead overthe second-place Raptors.


Garnett scored 22 points and Paul Pierce added 19 and aseason-high 12 assists Wednesday as the Celtics extended ralliedfor a 113-103 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

The Raptors suffered their second setback in three games onWednesday, dropping a 136-123 decision to the Phoenix Suns.

Toronto was without forwards Chris Bosh (groin) and AndreaBargnani (knee), who missed their fifth and third games,respectively.

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

Just added Moon to my fantasy team.</p>

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

<p align="center"></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;" class="MsoNormal"><st1lace><st1lacename><strong style=""><span style="color: black">10-9 </span>[/b]</st1lacename></st1lace><strong style=""><span style="color: black"></span>[/b]<strong style=""><span style="color: black"> @ </span>[/b]<strong style=""><span style="color: black"></span>[/b]<strong style=""><span style="color: black"> 15-2<o></o></span>[/b]
<st1:date month="11" day="21" year="2007">Friday, December 7, 2007</st1:date> &ndash; <st1:time hour="19" minute="30">7:30 pm ET</st1:time>
TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA<st1lace><st1:state></st1:state></st1lace>)
Game aired on CSN</p>

The last time the Celtics and Raptors met, Ray Allen crushed the hearts of the fans in the Air Canada Centre with a game-winning three-point shot in overtime. Predicting overtime in this one may be a bit extreme, however, as both Chris Bosh (groin) and Andrea Bargnani (knee) are nursing injuries and did not even make the trip to <st1:city><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:city>. This will be Bosh&rsquo;s fifth straight missed game, and Bargnani&rsquo;s fourth. T.J. Ford has also only played in three of <st1:city><st1lace>Toronto</st1lace></st1:city>&rsquo;s last eight games, and in those three has only averaged around 18 minutes per game. On Wednesday, however, Ford didn&rsquo;t show many signs of pain, as he went for 27 points in 24 minutes off the bench in <st1:city><st1lace>Toronto</st1lace></st1:city>&rsquo;s 136-123 loss to <st1:city><st1lace>Phoenix</st1lace></st1:city>.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">While Ford has been out, Jose Calderon has done a superb job running the club, and has consistently produced for his team. In the last 10 games, Calderon has held averages of 11.5 points and 9.5 assists per game while shooting the ball just under 50% from the floor. There aren&rsquo;t too many people who will tell you that Calderon isn&rsquo;t the best backup point guard in the NBA, and there is no question that he can produce in a big way if given the keys to the car. It&rsquo;ll be interesting to see what happens with him via free agency this summer.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Celtics, on the other hand, have sparked a brand spankin&rsquo; new winning streak. After losing a tough one out in <st1:city><st1lace>Cleveland</st1lace></st1:city> last Tuesday, but C&rsquo;s have picked up four straight wins, including two on the road. The story of the last win in Philadelphia was not the &ldquo;big three,&rdquo; although Paul Pierce did have one of his better games with 19 points and 12 assists, it was the play of the second unit. <st1:city><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:city>&rsquo;s bench tallied 46 points on Wednesday, including 17 from James Posey and 13 from Eddie House. The most promising part of that, however, was Tony Allen, who perhaps had his best half of basketball this season. He was active, he skied for rebounds, he made some big buckets off penetration, he brought a great deal of energy (which was needed at the time), and he played solid defense. If we can get more of that from Tony Allen on a semi-consistent basis before the All-Star break, there won&rsquo;t be too many people trashing the supporting cast anymore.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Without two of their top three most talented players in uniform, <st1:city><st1lace>Toronto</st1lace></st1:city> may have a tough time competing with the Boston Celtics. At the same time, however, they can&rsquo;t be taken lightly. They have great shooters from top to bottom, energy guys, and two terrific point guards in T.J. Ford and Jose Calderon running the show. They may be without their star, but they can still give opposing teams some problems if they are slept on.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Can the C&rsquo;s make it five in a row? Let&rsquo;s hope so, and let&rsquo;s hope the lead is safe enough to rest the big guns near the end of the game, as the team will play in <st1:city><st1lace>Chicago</st1lace></st1:city> tomorrow night against the hungry Bulls.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Projected Starters<o></o>[/b]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">C[/b] Rasho Nesterovic / Kendrick Perkins
<strong style="">PF[/b] Jamario Moon / Kevin Garnett
<strong style="">SF[/b] Joey Graham / Paul Pierce
<strong style="">SG[/b] Anthony Parker / Ray Allen
<strong style="">PG[/b] Jose Calderon / Rajon Rondo</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Key Matchup: [/b]T.J. Ford vs. Rajon Rondo<strong style=""><o></o>[/b]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">These two have had some great matchups, going back to 2007 preseason. Rondo has gotten the upper-hand in more matchups than not, but Ford certainly had his number on November 4 this year. Rondo did not defend Ford correctly, as he almost tried to force him one way, but at the same time gave him an open lane to the basket. Let&rsquo;s hope Rondo can come out on top in this one, because without <st1:city><st1lace>Toronto</st1lace></st1:city>&rsquo;s star in the house, you better believe Ford will try to take over more than usual.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Celtics X-Factor:[/b] Energy</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Usually, the X-Factor is dedicated to a certain player for that specific game, but tonight it is focused on the entire team&rsquo;s effort. Sure, Chris Bosh and Andrea Bargnani are not in uniform, but you still have to outwork them. Wednesday&rsquo;s game in <st1:city><st1lace>Philadelphia</st1lace></st1:city> was a classic example of a lesser team outworking a big gun, and they had <st1:city><st1lace>Boston</st1lace></st1:city>&rsquo;s number until the fourth quarter. The C&rsquo;s can&rsquo;t walk through this one, especially against a division rival. They need to come out with a lot of energy right out of the gate and let <st1:city><st1lace>Toronto</st1lace></st1:city> know that they mean business.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Injury Report<o></o>[/b]</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">TOR[/b] <strong style="">&ndash;[/b] Chris Bosh (groin)
<strong style="">TOR[/b] &ndash; Andrea Bargnani (knee)</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o></o></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><strong style="">Celtics Keys to the Game<o></o>[/b]</p>
<ul type="disc" style="margin-top: 0in;">
<li style="" class="MsoNormal">Energy
<li style="" class="MsoNormal">Ball Movement
<li style="" class="MsoNormal">Cut Off Penetration
<li style="" class="MsoNormal">Make Good Perimeter Rotations
<li style="" class="MsoNormal">Limit Turnovers
[/list]

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

TJ Ford's starting for some reason. I gotta run, so I can't really make a game thread. Hopefully you guys can bear with the Sportsticker for one more night (I'll be posting much more regularly after the weekend).</p>

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

<div align="center">

<font size="4"><u>Something to look at while you wait for the game....</u></font></p>

</p>
</div>

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

Why would Ford start? Calderon has been amazing, I say we ride him for at least 10 more games.</p>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">TORONTO AT BOSTON - PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS


TORONTO BOSTON

F Jamario Moon F Kevin Garnett
F Joey Graham F Paul Pierce
C Rasho Nesterovic C Kendrick Perkins
G Jose Calderon G Ray Allen
G Anthony Parker G Rajon Rondo

OFFICIALS: Scott Foster
Matt Boland
James Capers</div>

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

I read somewhere that Mitchell likes the Ford vs. Rondo matchup and thinks TJ can expose the Celtics PG with Ford's quickness but I hope TJ wont use this game as an excuse to take all the shots he wants with Bargnani and Bosh out with injuries. Anyways im kindof expecting the minutes to be spread evenly between both Calderon and Ford and maybe we'll see them on the floor togehter pushing a fast paced game like Mitch tried against the Suns.</p>

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

This game should probably be a write-off for the good guys... but I'll cross my fingers!! </p>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">TORONTO VS BOSTON - INACTIVES

TORONTO BOSTON

PLAYER NAME REASON PLAYER NAME REASON
J GARBAJOSA LEFT ANKLE SPRAIN
C BOSH GROIN PULL
A BARGNANI LEFT KNEE INJURY</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 2
BOSTON 7 8:59 LEFT, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 10
BOSTON 11 5:47 LEFT, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 12
BOSTON 17 3:06 LEFT, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 16
BOSTON 27 END, 1ST QTR</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA END 1ST QTR 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
TORONTO 16 16
BOSTON 27 27 END 1ST QTR

HIGH SCORERS AFTER 1ST QUARTER

TOR - T.J. FORD 4, JOEY GRAHAM 4, ANTHONY
PARKER 4
BOS - PAUL PIERCE 9, KEVIN GARNETT 6, KENDRICK
PERKINS 4</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 28
BOSTON 45 5:57 LEFT, 2ND QTR</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 35
BOSTON 53 2:48 LEFT, 2ND QTR</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA TORONTO 40
BOSTON 62 HALFTIME</div>

 

NBA: TORONTO at BOSTON

<div class="pre">NBA HALFTIME 1ST 2ND 3RD 4TH TOTAL
--- --- --- --- -----
TORONTO 16 24 40
BOSTON 27 35 62 HALFTIME

HIGH SCORERS AT HALFTIME

TOR - CARLOS DELFINO 9, JOEY GRAHAM 8, T.J.
FORD 6
BOS - PAUL PIERCE 13, KEVIN GARNETT 11, RAY
ALLEN 11</div>

 

Re: NBA: TORONTO (10-9) at BOSTON (15-2)

This is such a disapointment in my opinion, I dont understand how we can lose to the Suns by 12pts without Bosh and Bargnani and just get destroyed by the Celtics by 30+??</p>