Preview Details: Who: <font color="SeaGreen">Seattle Sonics</font> (9-8) vs <font color="DarkGreen">Boston Celtics</font>(9-11) Where: FleetCenter When: Wed, Dec 10th, 4pm TV: NBALP Projected Lineups: <font color="SeaGreen">Seattle</font> PG: Antonio Daniels/Brent Barry/Luke Ridnour SG: Brent Barry/Ronald Murray/Richie Frahm SF: Rashard Lewis/Ansu Sesay/Vladimir Radmanovic PF: Vladimir Radmanovic/Reggie Evans/Vitaly Potapenko C: Vitaly Potapenko/Calvin Booth/Jerome James Coached by Nate McMillan <font color="DarkGreen">Boston</font> PG: Mike James/Marcus Banks SG: Paul Pierce/Kedrick Brown SF: Jiri Welsch/Eric Williams/Jumaine Jones PF: Raef LaFrentz/Walter McCarty C: Mark Blount/Tony Battie/Raef LaFrentz Coached by Jim O'Brien <font color="SeaGreen">Sonic Injury List:</font> Ray Allen: ankle, expected to miss 1 more week. Nick Collison: shoulder, season. <font color="DarkGreen">Celtic Injury List</font> Chris Mills: on IL. Kendrick Perkins: on IL. Brandon Hunter: on IL. Vin Baker: illness, doubtful. Analysis: Seattle fans: Uh oh. Coming in on the back of three game breaking second half slumps, the last team you want to face is Boston, who have just unleashed a hammering of the Utah Jazz in the usually inpenetrable Delta Centre. Will Vin Baker's revitalisation take effect against his former team? he has missed the last two against Seattle, both Celtic wins, and looks set to miss again through illness. A allergy to Seattle maybe? Not likely, at the moment there isn't much to be scared of about the Sonics, especially if you're a frontcourt player. Just ask Kenyon Martin and Jeff Foster. Key Factor: Double Pierce at every opportunity, as he is the gamebreaker. Not only does he start and often finish most Celtic plays, he is also at his best in the closing stages, a period in which Seattle struggle. Without Ray Allen the Sonics don't have a guy that can score consistently at will like Pierce, and need to make sure he isn't allowed to settle on the high block. From Boston's perspective, they will want to feed Pierce the ball at every opportunity. Let him go to work and let him draw fouls and get to the line. If he gets hot early, Boston are extremely hard to stop. Key Matchup: Antonio Daniels vs Paul Pierce Obviously. Daniels has been impressive as a starter and his job doesn't get any easier against Pierce. Daniels has the length and agility to match Pierce, but can he contain him? Not many can, but Daniels is Seattle's best chance. Offensively, Daniels will need to drive at every opportunity and try and draw early fouls on Pierce. Pierce can also get lazy defensively and stick in the passing lanes, so Daniels needs to be aggressive and make Pierce respect him. X-Factors: <font color="SeaGreen">Seattle</font> Luke Ridnour - Seattle's sparkplug off the bench. Mike James and Marcus Banks aren't going to torch him offensively, and Ridnour has been one of the only Sonics to be a consistent performer over the last week and a half. Look for Ridnour to try and take James and Banks off the dribble at every opportunity. <font color="DarkGreen">Boston</font> Eric Williams - surprisingly he has been Boston's key performer in the last couple. Will spend time on the slumping Lewis, but Lewis will also have to be wary of Williams' underrated offensive game, especially from the perimeter.
Dangerous game for Seattle as Boston has been playing well of late and Pierce has been taking over ball games. I might have to favor Boston by 2.
This game is getting ugly and fast. Pierce is pretty much doing what he likes, 24 and 8 at the break...
Ouch. Not looking good for the Sonics. As you have told me, they need Ray Allen back. This guy is the backbone of their team. I wouldn't panic, still early and lots of bball to be played.
126-112 in the end, Sonics trimmed the margin in garbage time just like they did against New Jersey. A legitimate blowout to send the Sonics 0-3 on their current East roadtrip. Pierce did what he wanted, so did Mike James. For Seattle Lewis and Rad played less than 30 minutes again. Richie Frahm and Ansu Sesay both had career games, with 14 and 19 points respectively, but a lot of it was in garbage time. Boston shot 57%... http://www.nba.com/games/20031210/SEABOS/boxscore.html Get your act together Seattle, or a shot at the playoffs may have slipped even further by the time Ray gets back. You do not give up 126 to any team, let alone a Boston team without Antoine Walker anymore.
^ I agree, very disappointed...however maybe this will turn 360 when Ray Allen gets back....:sighs: what's the next game to look forward to?
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting anadagirlballer4strt:</div><div class="quote_post">^ I agree, very disappointed...however maybe this will turn 360 when Ray Allen gets back....:sighs: what's the next game to look forward to?</div> Hahaha I hope you mean 180 360 would just put us back in the same spot...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Sir Desmond:</div><div class="quote_post">Hahaha I hope you mean 180 360 would just put us back in the same spot...</div> yesss I meant 180...learned that in Geometry this year that when Jason Kidd was a rookie on The Mavericks (I think) he was like I'll turn The Mavs 360 & they corrected him...yeapers...
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting anadagirlballer4strt:</div><div class="quote_post">yesss I meant 180...learned that in Geometry this year that when Jason Kidd was a rookie on The Mavericks (I think) he was like I'll turn The Mavs 360 & they corrected him...yeapers...</div> Yep exactly where I picked up on that from too, they had his quote after being drafted on the wall along with other funny pictures/quotes. From memory there were some Sir Charles ones too, but then there'd have to be, wouldn't there?!
