<div align="center"></div> <div align="center"> <font size="7">@ </font> Boston Celtics (23-24) vs. Minnesota Timberwolves (24-23) Game #48 Home Game #25 Target Center, February 6, 2005 at 12:00 PM CST</div> SEASON RESULTS AGAINST OPPONENT: 2003-04 vs. Boston (1-1) Monday, Dec. 15 at Boston W116-95 Garnett/Cassell 27 McCarty 17 Sunday, Mar. 7 at Minnesota L77-80 Garnett 20 Welsch 18 The Dec. 15 victory stopped Minnesota's three-game losing streak vs. the Celtics, while the 21-point margin was the Wolves' biggest ever against Boston. Minnesota has dropped four consecutive home games to the Celtics, dating to a 103-85 triumph on Jan. 13, 2000. Boston leads the all-time series by a 16-13 count. First Meeting: Sam Cassell and Kevin Garnett scored 27 points apiece and the Wolves shot a torrid 62.8 percent en route to a 116-95 victory over Boston on Dec. 15 at the FleetCenter. Garnett added 12 rebounds and seven assists, while Cassell dished out nine assists. Walter McCarty's 17 points led the shorthanded Celtics, and Paul Pierce finished with 15 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds. Second Meeting: Jiri Welsch scored 14 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter as Boston overcame a 13-point deficit to claim an 80-77 win over the Timberwolves on Mar. 7 at Target Center. Paul Pierce's jumper capped an 11-0 uprising that put the Celtics ahead to stay, and Sam Cassell's game-tying 3-point attempt misfired as time elapsed. Kevin Garnett topped Minnesota with 20 points and 14 rebounds. <font color="Navy"><div align="center">Minnesota Timberwolves</div> OVERALL: 24-23 (.511) Home: 13-11 (.542) Road: 11-12 (.478) Atlantic: 3-3 (.500) Home: 2-1 (.667) Road: 1-2 (.333) STREAKS: Overall: Lost 4 Home: Lost 3 Road: Lost 1 PHIL "FLIP" SAUNDERS Overall Record: 410-323 Record with Minnesota: 410-323 Playoff Record: 17-30 Record with Minnesota: 17-30 Seasons in League: 10th Seasons with Minnesota: 10th Probable Starters: Forward: Latrell Sprewell 12.5PPG 2.4RPG 2.1APG Last Two Games: Finished with 11 points (5-11 FG, 0-1 3FG, 1-2 FT), 1 rebound, 3 assists and 1 steal in a season-high 44 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Came off the bench for 7 points (3-12 FG, 0-3 3FG, 1-2 FT), 3 rebounds, a team-high 6 assists and 1 steal in 32 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Forward: Kevin Garnett 22.4PPG 14.30RPG 6.0APG Last Two Games: Scored 22 points (9-18 FG, 4-6 FT) with a game-high 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal and 2 blocks in 45 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Finished with a season-low 12 points (6-14 FG, 0-1 3FG), a game-high 13 rebounds and 3 assists in 33 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Notable: Named a Western Conference starter for the 2005 All-Star Game on Thursday, his eighth straight All-Star nod and seventh consecutive start. Shooting 54.7% (105-for-192) in the last 13 games; however, he's attempted just 53 FTs in those 13, after getting to the line 71 times in his previous seven starts. Also netting 19.3 ppg and 11.8 rpg in the last 13 (26.4 ppg and 17.4 rpg in the prior seven). Michael Olowokandi 4.6PPG 4.4RPG 0.4APG Last Two Games: Scoreless (0-0 FG) but added 2 rebounds and 1 assist in 9 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Contributed 4 points (2-3 FG), 5 rebounds in 12 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Notable: Has started the past two contests; the Wolves are 6-10 in his starts. Guard: Trenton Hassell 5.8PPG 3.0RPG 1.7APG Last Two Games: Pumped in a season-high 19 points (5-12 FG, 9-9 FT) with 5 rebounds and 4 assists in a season-high 41 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Chipped in 14 points (7-10 FG) and 1 block in 23 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Guard: Sam Cassell 14.8PPG 2.7RPG 5.9APG Last Two Games: Led the Wolves with 24 points (10-20 FG, 1-5 3FG, 3-3 FT), adding 3 rebounds, a gamehigh 11 assists and 1 block in 35 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Limited to 2 points (1-4 FG, 0-1 3FG), 1 rebound and 4 assists in a season-low 10 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Notable: Friday's outing marked the fifth time he's been Minnesota's top scorer, and his fourth point/assist double-double of the season. Reserves Anthony Carter 2.5PPG 0.9RPG 1.7APG Last Two Games: Did not score (0-0 FG) in 3 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Collected 8 points (4-5 FG, 0-1 FT), 4 rebounds and 2 assists in 13 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Notable: Has come off the bench in his last three outings, after starting the prior 10 (Minnesota was 7-3). Eddie Griffin 8.5PPG 6.5RPG 0.8APG Last Two Games: Contributed 13 points (5-13 FG, 3-7 3FG), 7 rebounds and 1 steal in 26 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Did not score (0-2 FG, 0-2 3FG) but had 3 rebounds, 1 assist and 1 block in 13 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Notable: Friday's outing was his 14th double-figure effort this season, but just his third in the last 24 games; he's slipped to 6.0 ppg (31.2%) and 6.0 rpg over the past 24, after tallying 11.4 ppg (43.5%) and 7.1 rpg in his first 20 appearances. Fred Hoiberg 5.4PPG 2.2RPG 0.9APG Last Two Games: Scoreless (0-0 FG) with 2 rebounds in 11 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Netted 5 points (2-9 FG, 0-5 3FG, 1-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals in 27 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Notable: Has totaled six points in three February appearances; he'd averaged 11.2 ppg and shot 65.6% (21- for-32) in his final six January outings. Troy Hudson 8.6PPG 1.2RPG 3.5APG Last Two Games: Had 4 points (1-4 FG, 2-2 FT), 1 rebound, 7 assists and 1 block in 18 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Added 11 points (5-15 FG, 1-5 3FG), 2 rebounds and 5 assists in 32 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. Center: Ervin Johnson 1.3PPG 2.5RPG 0.2APG Last Two Games: Logged 3 scoreless minutes (0-0 FG) with 2 rebounds and 1 assist Friday vs. Houston. DNP-CD Wednesday vs. Phoenix, his 14th DNP-CD of the year. Wally Szczerbiak 15.9PPG 3.5RPG 2.3APG Last Two Games: Collected 18 points (6-9 FG, 0-2 3FG, 6-7 FT) and 2 rebounds in 28 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Started and paced the Wolves with 16 points (7-15 FG, 2-4 3FG), adding 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block in 36 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. John Thomas 1.4PPG 1.9RPG 0.4APG Last Two Games: Chipped in 2 points (1-1 FG, 0-1 FT) with 1 rebound in 2 minutes Friday vs. Houston. Scoreless (0-2 FG) in 9 minutes Wednesday vs. Phoenix. INJURY REPORT: Forward Ndudi Ebi: Placed on the Injured List on Nov. 1 with patellar tendinitis in his left knee. Forward Mark Madsen: Placed on the Injured List on Jan. 10 with a fractured left thumb. BY THE NUMBERS: The Wolves are? 12-5 when scoring 100+ points 12-18 when scoring less than 100 17-8 when shooting 45%+ 7-15 when shooting less than 45% 20-10 when outshooting their foe 16-13 when outrebounding their foe or tied 19-14 when committing <16 TOs 19-4 when leading or tied after 3 quarters 9-9 in games decided by 10+ points 4-13 when allowing 100+ points 20-10 when allowing less than 100 10-13 when allowing 45%+ 14-10 when allowing less than 45% 4-13 when being outshot 8-10 when being outrebounded 5-9 when committing 16+ TOs 5-19 when trailing after 3 quarters 15-14 in games decided by <10 points Game Notes Friday's overtime loss to Houston snapped the Wolves' unbeaten streak on Fridays this year (8-1). Minnesota is 15-5 in its weekend starts overall, compared to 9-18 in weeknight outings. Milwaukee outscored the Wolves 23-11 in the third quarter Tuesday, holding Minnesota to its lowest-scoring period since Oct. 31, 2003 at New Jersey. On Wednesday, Phoenix posted a 35-15 third-quarter margin en route to handing Minnesota its biggest home loss in 10 years. The Wolves have been outscored by an average of 13.5 points (16.0-29.5) in the third quarter during their four-game losing streak, shooting 36.7% while allowing 47.9%. In Flip Saunders' nine full seasons as head coach, the Wolves have the NBA's 2nd-best winning percentage when the final margin is three points or less, going 62-38 (.620). They've also compiled the league's 4th-best overtime mark in that span at 26-16 (.619), despite Friday's 119-113 OT loss to Houston at Target Center. Minnesota set a club record with its 72-point bench effort Jan. 21 at Seattle, as the four reserves combined to hit 57.8% -- including 10-for-15 from long distance. The Wolves have enjoyed a +24.3 ppg bench advantage (46.7-22.3) over their last nine contests (going 5-4 in that stretch), and have received 40+ points in eight of their last 12 games. The Wolves fell to 7-12 vs. the Eastern Conference with Tuesday's five-point loss at Milwaukee; they're 1-9 on the road vs. Eastern foes, with the lone victory coming Dec. 8 at Philadelphia. Minnesota totaled only six losses vs. the Eastern Conference a year ago (24-6), after finishing 18-12 in 2002-03. Friday's OT loss to Houston was Minnesota's 11th at Target Center this year, surpassing last season's total (31-10); the Wolves compiled a franchise-record 33-8 home mark in 2002-03. They're 0-2 on the current homestand, and have dropped three straight at Target Center; Minnesota hasn't lost four in a row at home since a five-game drought in March 2002. Houston outboarded the Wolves 55-40 on Friday (including 19-9 on the offensive end), the ninth straight game Minnesota has come up short. They're facing a -7.0 rpg deficit (38.7-45.7) in those nine. Minnesota committed a season-low five TOs Friday vs. Houston, its sixth single-digit effort of the year and just one off the franchise single-game mark. The Wolves had averaged 14.2 TOs per game in their previous five starts.</font> <font color="Green"> <div align="center">Boston Celtics</div> OVERALL 23-24 Home: 16-8 Road:7-16 WESTERN 7-10 Home: 5-4 Road: 2-6 STREAKS: Overall: Won 2 Home: Won 2 Road: Won 2 DOC RIVERS NBA Coaching Record: 194- Seasons in League: Five Seasons with Boston: 1st Probable Starters: Forward: Paul Pierce 22.1PPG 7.0RPG 4.3APG Forward: Raef LaFrentz 11.2PPG 7.4RPG 1.2APG Center: Mark Blount 10.2PPG 5.3RPG 1.8APG Guard: Gary Payton 12.2PPG 2.9RPG 6.3APG Guard: Tony Allen 6.0PPG 2.8RPG 0.9APG Marcus Banks 5.1PPG 1.5RPG 1.7APG Ricky Davis 14.9PPG 2.9RPG 2.8APG Tom Gugliotta 1.3PPG 2.0RPG 0.5APG Walter McCarty 3.7PPG 1.7RPG 0.6APG Kendrick Perkins 2.0PPG 2.5RPG 0.4APG Jiri Welsch 8.1PPG 2.7RPG 1.7APG Delonte West 3.0PPG 0.8RPG 0.8APG INJURY REPORT Al Jefferson ? Right Ankle Sprain ? Injured List Justin Reed ? Right Infrapatella Tendinitis ? Injured List Michael Stewart ? Bilateral Knee Tendinitis ? Injured List DID YOU KNOW????? The Celtics are 14-5 when they hold opponents under 100 points, and 13-2 when they hold them below 95 points. The Celtics are 7-0 when they have 7+ players in double figures. The Celtics are 12-5 when they score 105+ points. The Celtics are 9-5 when they grab 45+ rebounds. The Celtics are 8-3 when they shoot 50.0 percent or better from the field. Since Ricky Davis moved to the bench, the Celtics are 5-1 when he plays 35+ minutes. The Celtics are 3-0 when Davis scores 25+ points. The Celtics are 12-5 when Gary Payton scores 15+ points. The Celtics are 11-3 when Paul Pierce dishes out 6+ assists. The Celtics are 6-2 when Raef LaFrentz records a double-double. The Celtics are 8-3 when Al Jefferson scores 10+ points and 6-2 when he grabs 8+ boards. Game Notes Paul Pierce is making a case for his 4th straight All-Star appearance and has been leading the way for the Celtics. Over the Celtics last 11 games Pierce is averaging 24.0 points, on 45.7 percent shooting from the field, to go along with 9.2 boards, 4.9 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Second-year player Kendrick Perkins has been getting more playing time in recent weeks. Perkins has played 10+ minutes in 11 games with the Celtics going 6-5 in those games. In those games Perkins is averaging 3.5 points, 5.4 boards and 1.7 blocks in 16.7 minutes per game. Ricky Davis has given the Celtics second unit a big boost since moving to the bench November 21, vs. Seattle. The Celtics bench has outscored the opponent?s bench in 23 of the last 28 games. ? In 22 of the Celtics wins (excluding 2/2 vs. New Jersey when he left after 6 minutes due to illness) he?s averaging 16.4 points, on 48.3 percent shooting from the floor and 43.8 percent from beyond the arc. ? He scored 34 points, his high as a member of the Celtics, at the Clippers (12/13). ? The bench has scored 40+ points 14 times since Ricky?s move to the bench. The Celtics have been on fire from the field in the early going this season. After 46 games the Celtics are shooting a blistering 46.4 percent from the field, ranking them tied for 4th in the NBA. The Celtics have not shot above 45.0 percent in a season since 1995-96 season. The Celtics are 8-3 when they shoot 50.0 percent from the field or better this season.</font> My Prediction: Celtics win by 6.
Another great preview, Linkin. I am really looking forward to watching Tony Allen in this one. I always liked him at Oklahoma State, but I haven't seen him play in the League yet. I think the Wolves will scrap out a win. Wolves 103 - Celtics 96
i dispize ollowakndi his all game is one mistake in a row ! he does something good once in a......and then another streake of mistakes damn!
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting GarnettKG21:</div><div class="quote_post">Another loss, Another 100 points let up, Another loss to a bad team</div> You keep on losing to theese "Bad teams" as you call them. Have you ever tought that maybe your team is the bad team? And calling the celtics a bad team is beig very ignorant they have the same record as you and just beat you.
... i am stunned that the T'Wolves are playing like this, without any heart what so ever... all of a sudden the Denver Nuggets and Portland TrailBlazers are in the Wolves rear view mirror.. approaching fast
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TheNextJordan8:</div><div class="quote_post">You keep on losing to theese "Bad teams" as you call them. Have you ever tought that maybe your team is the bad team? And calling the celtics a bad team is beig very ignorant they have the same record as you and just beat you.</div> Well said. Also, the Celtics haven't lost to the Wolves in Minnesota for the past 5 years.
LEts give candi some credit for how he played today cause he has had a 21 point 9 reb game for us ......ever idont think....I really wish we could figure something out and start playing like we did last year.
Great effort today despite the loss. Nice to see Michael earn his money for one day. The losses have clearly taken its toll now on the players. I think these players are expecting to lose when things go tough. The effort was there again today, but when you find so many ways to lose all year, it becomes a habit for these guys to accept losing and expect losing when a team makes that run. How many times have we seen this all so often this year when the other team makes a run on the Timberwolves, the Wolves go belly up. We are seeing this now and the self-doubt have clearly filtered through the players heads now.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting TheNextJordan8:</div><div class="quote_post">And calling the celtics a bad team is beig very ignorant they have the same record as you and just beat you.</div> I thought Doc had a great line about this: "It's amazing, we're at .500 and ecstatic. They're at .500 and think the world is crumbling around them." Just shows you the difference in expectations.
Fred Hoiberg made a great quote about how Michael played his best game ever as a Timberwolf. That's a sad commentary.
