<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%">@</span> February 26, 2007 - 8:30 pm ET</div> <span style="color:#009900">Boston Celtics</span> <span style="color:#000000">(13-42)</span> <span style="color:#000000">PG</span> <span style="color:#009900">Delonte West</span> <span style="color:#000000">SG</span> <span style="color:#009900">Paul Pierce</span> <span style="color:#000000">SF</span> <span style="color:#009900">Ryan Gomes</span> <span style="color:#000000">PF</span> <span style="color:#009900">Leon Powe</span> <span style="color:#000000">C</span> <span style="color:#009900">Al Jefferson</span> <span style="color:#000000">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Rajon Rondo, Gerald Green, Brian Scalabrine, Kendrick Perkins, Sebastian Telfair</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Houston Rockets</span> <span style="color:#000000">(35-20)</span> <span style="color:#000000">PG</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Rafer Alston</span> <span style="color:#000000">SG</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady</span> <span style="color:#000000">SF</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Shane Battier</span> <span style="color:#000000">PF</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Juwan Howard</span> <span style="color:#000000">C</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Dikembe Mutombo</span> <span style="color:#000000">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Luther Head, Chuck Hayes, Bonzi Wells, Jake Tsakalidis</span> Injury Report <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Wally Szczerbiak will not play (sprained left ankle)</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Tony Allen is out for season (torn ACL/MCL)</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Theo Ratliff is out for season (back surgery).</span> <span style="color:#000000">HOU:</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Yao Ming will not play (fractured right tibia)</span> Who To Watch Out For <span style="color:#009900">Paul Pierce</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 25.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 4.1 apg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Al Jefferson</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 14.2 ppg, 10.9 rpg, 1.5 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000000">As A Starter: 15.3 ppg, 11.7 rpg, 1.6 bpg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Delonte West</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 11.3 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 4.5 apg</span> <span style="color:#000000">As A Starter: 13.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 5.6 apg</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 24.6 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 6.1 apg</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Shane Battier</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 10.6 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.3 apg</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Dikembe Mutombo</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 3.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000000">As A Starter: 5.2 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.6 bpg</span> Rookie Watch <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Rajon Rondo</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 21</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#009900">5.1 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 3.2 apg, 1.4 spg</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Leon Powe</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: 49</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#009900">2.9 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 0.5 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000000">As A Starter:</span> <span style="color:#009900">10.0 ppg, 9.0 rpg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Boston's X-Factor</span> <span style="color:#009900">Ryan Gomes</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 12.3 ppg, 5.7 rpg, 1.8 apg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Gomes has a chance to have himself a nice game. The size matchup with Chuck Hayes is actually to his advantage, for once, and he's quicker than Juwan Howard. I think he might have some trouble with Battier, but he can really take advantage of the Hayes/Howard matchups.</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Houston's X-Factor</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Dikembe Mutombo</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 3.6 ppg, 7.3 rpg, 1.2 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000000">As A Starter: 5.2 ppg, 11.0 rpg, 1.6 bpg</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Mutombo has the experience, size, and shot blocking, but Big Al has the quickness. Mutombo really needs to move his feet against Big Al. He's a quicker leaper than most centers he has to deal with, he's got quicker post moves, and he can fall back and hit fall away hooks facing up. Mutombo could have some trouble, but we'll see. He also has a chance to swat a lot of shots tonight.</span> <div align="center">Key Matchup vs. <span style="color:#009900">Paul Pierce</span> <span style="color:#000000">vs.</span> <span style="color:#FF0000">Tracy McGrady</span></div> <span style="color:#000000">This is self explanatory. Both are top great players, unbelievable offensive talents. Both are capable of going off for 40+ on any given night.</span> CelticBalla's Extra Thoughts/Notes - We are 8-21 on the road. - Houston is 20-7 at home. - Perk and Gerald are having a little homecoming, they are both from Houston. CelticBalla's Prediction Houston wins, we go 0-5 on the trip. But hey, at least it's over, right?
CB32 I think Scal may not be startingDoc said he's gonna be shaking the lineups a lot from now on but the only spots that won't be changed are Al, PP, Delonte..and he said he'll continue to play Powe a lot so I think his spot is safe but I think they'll either start Perk/Gomes/Green tonight instead of Scal
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (playaofthegame @ Feb 26 2007, 02:30 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>CB32 I think Scal may not be starting Doc said he's gonna be shaking the lineups a lot from now on but the only spots that won't be changed are Al, PP, Delonte..and he said he'll continue to play Powe a lot so I think his spot is safe but I think they'll either start Perk/Gomes/Green tonight instead of Scal</div> I personally think Gomes at the 3 is a MUCH better matchup with Battier than Scal or Gerald. I definitely think he should start at the 3.
I like to see Powe playing. As much as I love Scal, Powe needs to play and develop more into the banger we're going to need him to be coming off the bench in the future. Oh well, another day, another loss.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CelticBalla32 @ Feb 26 2007, 02:01 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>- Perk and Gerald are having a little homecoming, they are both from Houston.</div>Perk isn't from Houston get yo facts straight! He's from Nederland. I predict Gerald to throw down some sickness for his real fans.
omg dat game was terrible! missed shots, bad plays. Dam houston took it a lil too easy dis game, and dey pay by losin. props to the Celts for takin advantage in the fourth.
hhaahhahahahaahaahhaa hooooooooly sh*t how'd that happen. nice little present for me before I get stuck in the hospital today and tomorrow.
Neither team deserved to win this game, that was horrible. We shot 34%, they shot 22%. That was just atrocious. Thank god for Paul Pierce, that's all I have to say. Doc made some bad decisions yet AGAIN. He started Leon Powe, played him 3 minutes, and never played him again for the rest of the game... WTF? He starts Scal at the 3 and has him matched up with Bonzi Wells defensively... Bonzi Wells, a 2-guard... guarded by Scal. WTF Doc? He yanked Rondo, even though he was the key to the entire run we had just went on, for one bad foul. He screamed at him like he did to Marcus Banks, and he benched him. Complete bullsh**. Rondo only played 12 minutes last night, that's ridiculous. f*cking ridiculous. The Truth hit some huge shots last night, especially that 3 and that 15 foot turnaround. Pierce definitely isn't in shape yet, but he had himself a nice game last night. He really heated up in the 2nd half. Lose 8-9 lbs., Paul, and we'll be golden. Big Al is a beast, man. He missed a few shots that should have gone in, but he still played hard and did well. He was a monster on the boards, as usual, and he bumbed his RPG average up to 11.0. I love that this kid is only 22 years old, that's great. Keep up the good work, Big Al! Don't give up on Sebastian Telfair just yet, people! I've defended him when he was gets bashed in the past, and I'll continue to do so. Bassy was HUUUUUUUUUGE in the 4th quarter last night. Huge! He came in and really played hard and very well. He was mistake-free, he ran, he made the right passes he drove to the basket, he had a hustle offensive rebound, and he had a BIG BLOCK. Without Bassy's production in those few minutes last night, I don't know if we win that game or not. D-West struggled with his shot, like everyone else tonight, and he made some bad decisions that made me say "you aren't a point guard!" but he hit all the big free throws and some of the classic Delonte hustle plays he made were awesome. Gomes was working hard out there, but he had a trouble with his shot as well. He did, however, sport a headband for the first time last night. Hmm.. I don't like it. Scal shot 1-7, 1-6 from 3... before you jump on him, ALL of them were open and good shots to take. He's shooting very well from 3 this year, he just couldn't knock them down last night. Perk played solid last night. Average rebounding night, I obviously don't expect much out of him offensively, but I was pleased with a couple things about Perk tonight. He seemed to be moving pretty decently and he had a couple real nice blocks. All I want to see from Perk is solid movement. Rajon played pretty well. In the second quarter, that run was all Rondo. He was harassing on defense, he was rebounding, running hard, and he was attacking. I think it's complete bullsh** that Doc took him out and benched him for that one dumb foul. F*ck you, Doc. Gerald played a bad game last night, wow. He went 0-fer, he turned the ball over, made some bad decisions. Come on, G-Money! Just a horrible game. We saw O!!! He didn't deliver any "Kandi" though, he did a whole lot of nothing out there. Player Stat Lines <span style="color:#009900">Paul Pierce: 28 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist on 10-23 shooting, 2-5 from 3, 6-12 FT Al Jefferson: 16 points, 17 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block on 6-15 shooting Delonte West: 16 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 steal, 1 block on 5-13 shooting, 8-8 FT Sebastian Telfair: 2 points, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block on 1-3 shooting in 8 minutes Ryan Gomes: 5 points, 5 rebounds, 1 assist on 2-6 shooting Kendrick Perkins: 2 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist (beautiful one to Rondo), 3 blocks on 1-2 shooting Rajon Rondo: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 steal on 2-4 shooting Brian Scalabrine: 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists on 1-7 shooting, 1-6 from 3, 1-2 FT Gerald Green: 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 3 turnovers on 0-6 shooting</span> Next Game: Tomorrow (2/28/07) at home (finally) vs. New York at 7:30 pm ET. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (High54Life @ Feb 26 2007, 03:27 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Perk isn't from Houston get yo facts straight! He's from Nederland. I predict Gerald to throw down some sickness for his real fans.</div> He's actually from Beaumont, Texas. But whatever, it's still the Houston area. Also, nice Gerald Green prediction (although, you do make one every night).
I'm curious, how much points did we score in the first quarter? When I turned on the T.V, it was the 2nd quarter with 6:00 left and we only had 19 points. I could tell we weren't playing that great.Anyways, great win for us. Glad T-Mac was out.
I was at the game and man was it low scoring.... Here's a link to the pics I took that night if anyone is interested:http://www.610photos.com/main.php?g2_itemId=2416
