<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">31-13</span> <span style="font-size:14pt;line-height:100%">@</span> <span style="font-size:12pt;line-height:100%">35-8</span> Thursday, January 31, 2008 - 8:00 pm ET TD BankNorth Garden (Boston, MA) Game aired on TNT</div> Coming off a 30-point wallop-job in Miami, the Celtics are set to go head-to-head with one of the powerhouses of the Western Conference, the 31-13 Dallas Mavericks, on TNT Thursday. Unfortunately, the C’s will be shorthanded for the third straight game, as Kevin Garnett continues to nurse the abdominal strain he attained this past Friday against Minnesota. Ray Allen, who sat out Tuesday’s game in Miami with the flu, is probable for tonight’s game. The Celtics won’t be the only ones missing a key player, though. Dallas’ Devin Harris, who is having his best professional season, will be out for the next couple of weeks with a bone bruise in his left ankle. Veteran swingman Jerry Stackhouse is also questionable for tonight’s game due to a mild hamstring strain, which has caused him to miss Dallas’ last three games. Fortunately, Dallas didn’t break stride and is in the midst of a four-game winning streak heading into tonight’s game in Boston. Kevin Garnett or not, injuries will be no excuse. This is exactly what basketball fans across the nation want to see – the Celtics take out an elite Western Conference team while shorthanded. If Dallas wins this game, many fans will continue to proclaim that the Celtics are fakers. If the Celtics win without their best player, however, it may open up the eyes of a lot of doubters. With this game being played on national television (TNT), it raises the anticipation level even greater than it originally would be. This is a big game; go get ‘em, green! P.S. – Be sure to tune into TNT’s “NBA Pregame” show at 7:00 pm ET, where they’ll announce the 2008 NBA All-Star reserves. Projected Starters C Erick Dampier / Kendrick Perkins PF Dirk Nowitzki / Brian Scalabrine SF Josh Howard / Paul Pierce SG Eddie Jones / Ray Allen PG Jason Terry / Rajon Rondo Key Matchup: Josh Howard vs. Paul Pierce With the Kevin Garnett sitting out for tonight’s game, the key matchup needs to be turned in another direction. Paul Pierce vs. Josh Howard isn’t a bad consolation prize. These are two of the most versatile small forwards in the NBA, but two different players. Pierce is one of the most devastating assignments for swingmen on the defensive end, but Howard thrives on that side of the floor. Howard has improved his jumper a great deal since he was drafted in 2003, is a terrific slasher, a freak athlete, and an outstanding finisher, but he thrives off energy and defensive aggression. Pierce traditionally has trouble with the long, athletic defenders of the league, such as Luol Deng and Tayshaun Prince, and Josh Howard is just that. It should be very interesting and entertaining to watch these two battle on both ends of the floor. Celtics X-Factor: James Posey Having Garnett on the pine for the third straight game makes most Celtics fans scream “eek!” when thinking about the reliability of Brian Scalabrine, especially with a defensive assignment of Dirk Nowitzki at the helm. Whether you like it or not, Scal is a huge factor tonight. In the past, he has done a respectable job defensively on perimeter big men in spurts. Tonight, he better make sure he can squeeze out a couple of those spurts and bother Nowitzki. However, he is not the main concern, as the expectation level of Scalabrine making a big impact is nearly nonexistent. James Posey will get a long look at defending Nowitzki, especially down the stretch. Posey is undoubtedly one of the most versatile defenders in the NBA; he better bring his “A-Game” tonight. Injury Report DAL – Devin Harris (bone bruise in left ankle - out) DAL – Jerry Stackhouse (mild hamstring strain - questionable) BOS – Kevin Garnett (abdominal strain - out) BOS – Ray Allen (flu – probable) BOS – Scot Pollard (sore left ankle – day-to-day) Celtics Keys to the Game • Aggressiveness On Both Ends • Role Players – It’s Step-Up Time • Defense (especially with their ball movement) • Ball Movement
I'll be at the game, if you don't hear from me again, I'm probably serving jail time for abusing Doc Rivers.
What a hell of a game. Big time win against an elite team, without our best player. Guys stepped up big down the stretch, especially James Posey. They didn't call him "Big Game James" down in Miami for nothing. He was phenomenal down the stretch of this ball game, and even in the first three quarters he knocked down some big shots to change the momentum - or keep the momentum from swaying Dallas' way. Rondo was huge down the stretch as well, despite missing a few layups in the 4th quarter. He came up with that massive mid-air rip-away from Dirk, which he converted into a flip-in layup. Then on that final defensive possession, he defended Terry as well as you could have asked him to. Great job. Leon gave us some very serviceable minutes, once again, as well. Nice to see him making the most of his opportunities this month. Once again: what a game, what a win. All doubters out there, please admit that this team is for real. We're passing the tests, and this one was without Kevin Garnett. Recap coming shortly.
Game was awesome! I'm free! What else could you ask for? Ray Allen carried us in the first half, Pierce did the same in the second (maybe he got some energy when he found out he was an all-star, because he looked lifeless in the first half.) I loved Paul's two consecutive And 1's! Powe did a good job, as the only guy ever on the boards. Rondo did well with his few layups in the 4th, they were huge, as well as that last rebound he got from Dirk, that was clutch. Dirk was unbelievable though, Scal did a nice job on him in the first half. The Garden went nuts when Scal made that block on (Terry?), it was awesome. After the game, the only thing you could hear in the hallway is 13-0, the Celtics record against the Superior Western Conference.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (aquaitious @ Feb 1 2008, 12:03 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Ray Allen carried us in the first half, Pierce did the same in the second (maybe he got some energy when he found out he was an all-star, because he looked lifeless in the first half.)</div> Paul found out that he was an All-Star before the game, but he was outstanding in the 3rd. It was fun to watch the PP-Dirk shootout. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>After the game, the only thing you could hear in the hallway is 13-0, the Celtics record against the Superior Western Conference.</div> While we still have to play San Antonio, Phoenix, and New Orleans - that is a hell of a stat. Especially considering the fact that we beat Dallas/Utah/Denver/Portland once and the Lakers twice. You are very lucky that you got to go to the game, aquaitious. I'm jealous.
