?!?! <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Your starting Power Forward......... Paul Pierce?</div> I was real surprised when I saw this. I thought for sure Doc would start Jefferson. Oh well the man knows what he's doing and so far it's working. Boston leads 15-9 at 6:25 in the 1st quarter.
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AA13:</div><div class="quote_post">I was real surprised when I saw this. I thought for sure Doc would start Jefferson. Oh well the man knows what he's doing and so far it's working. Boston leads 15-9 at 6:25 in the 1st quarter.</div>Yeah, it's working pretty well so far. The Pacers have gotten the right matchups a few times, but for the most part, it's to our advantage. We definitely are in a much better state of mind, as compared to the last 2 games.
Better State if Mind <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Yeah, it's working pretty well so far. The Pacers have gotten the right matchups a few times, but for the most part, it's to our advantage. We definitely are in a much better state of mind, as compared to the last 2 games.</div>I agree. We look like we are ready to play tonight. Gary Payton just completed a three-point play. I love that old timer. Then Pierce takes a charge at the other end.. and Lafrentz hits a three!! I hope we can sustain this play throughout the game. Boston leads 23-13 with 2:44 left in the 1st.
Up 11 after the first. GP did a great job on Reggie. I thought he might be a good choice for that job, but we'll see how it works out for the game. The Celtics D has been very impressive, especially considering the circumstances. Carlisle seems surprised by the smallball tactic, and he doesn't know how to attack it. Mucho props to this officiating crew for already making more unpopular calls than all of last game.
Boston's Play <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Up 11 after the first. GP did a great job on Reggie. I thought he might be a good choice for that job, but we'll see how it works out for the game. The Celtics D has been very impressive, especially considering the circumstances. Carlisle seems surprised by the smallball tactic, and he doesn't know how to attack it. Mucho props to this officiating crew for already making more unpopular calls than all of last game.</div>First off lets all give a big hand to the Referees! Anyway, Pierce has been doing great on the offensive end. He has 9 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists. The defense has been doing good but there are some weaknesses that the Pacers could easily attack. Payton is a very good choice to guard Miller. Even though he's getting older he can still shut a player down. Jermaine O'Neal already has 3 fouls. Rivers need to make a point to the players to attack O'Neal in hopes of fouling him out. Boston leads 35-27 with 8:43 in the 2nd quarter. UPDATE: West just picked up his 3rd foul and tha Pacers are staging a comeback. Boston still leads 39-32 with 6:51 left in the 2nd.
What Boston can do to improve for the second half <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Dear Doc, Stop playing Blount. Give Perk his minutes. Thanks, Everybody</div>Couldn't agree more. Even though Boston leads by 9 at the half I have seen a few things they can improve on. Post Play- Take advantage of Jefferson. Give him the ball more and let him go up against O'Neal in hopes of getting him in foul trouble. Also, Boston needs to continue postin Pierce up. He can back Mille or Jackson down and shoot ove them. Pick and Roll- It wouldn't hurt Boston to get Lafrentz involved a little more on the pick and roll plays. They can set him up perfectly for a jumpshot it's just the matter of him capitalizing on the open shot. More shots for Davis- Davis needs to get a few more shots than he did in the first half. Again, he gets open looks he just needs to make them. Defense Will win it- Boston needs to sustain the defensive energy and need to get a hand in Millers face every time he shoots. We also need to get on the defensive glass. Celtic Pride- I just wanted to say I'm very proud to be a fan of the Boston Celtics. Miller is getting warmed up from three-point land. He hit a lucky shot to end the half so whoever is guarding him needs to make sure they don't lose track of him.
Pacers have cut the lead to 3, but if they're going to rely on James Jones taking threes to keep them in this game, I'll take my chances. We're having a problem realizing that Pierce is the hot man right now and I'm sure that's what Doc is saying in this TO. Edit- Nevermind. We just picked up the intensity on the defensive end. Nice 6-0 run to widen the gap.
More game action <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post">Pacers have cut the lead to 3, but if they're going to rely on James Jones taking threes to keep them in this game, I'll take my chances. We're having a problem realizing that Pierce is the hot man right now and I'm sure that's what Doc is saying in this TO.</div>Apparently Doc told them to give te ball to Davis or Pierce. We're running the lead up again. Payton has made a few big baskets to help run this lead up.I really do think we need to give Jefferson the ball a little more. The Celtic's defense is really clicking. We are stopping any hope of getting easy layups and points in the paint. Boston leads 64-56 with 5:20 in the 3rd. EDIT: Lafrentz just hit a crazy circus shot and completes a three-point play. Lafrentz has 8 points and 5 rebounds. Boston Leads 70-58. Another EDIT: Davis makes another great play with a tremendous scoop shot. The C's lead 76-60. Davis has 15 points and 5 rebounds.
<font color="DarkGreen"><font size="6">Big Win!!!</font></font> "In Paul, I Trust" <font color="DarkRed">First, let me just yell at ESPN for cutting off the end of the Celtics vs Pacers game. Thanks alot, that was real nice.........</font> Ok, back to the game. Stop me if you've heard me say this before: <font size="5"><font color="DarkGreen">"In Paul, I Trust".</font></font> I hate it when my teams best player says "I need the ball more" and then goes out and puts up 30pts, 7rbs, 8 assts, 5 BLOCKS (yes, that's right, that's a big number). I hate it when he does it for a pivotal game, with the teams second best player not available, on the road. Man, I hate it when a guy steps up when far too many fans are just about to turn on him. <font color="DarkGreen">Ok, enough sarcasm towards those who's faith has waivered of late. Dr. hagrid prescribes lithium, please take it regularly to wain the effects of your bi-polar disorder.</font>
Gotta tell you, I love that banner of yours, high-sterical if I do say. Way to go Doc, by the way, all small, a brain like that deserves the Pistons in round 2.
Great win! Pierce was huge with 30, 8, 7, 5, and 1. He really stepped it up in Toine's absence. Overall, it was a tremendous effort by the C's. What really impressed me was the defense. We played some intense D, and everybody was active and contributing. Great to see Ricky back on track after the CONCUSSION HE WAS GIVEN BY JO. I knew something was up with him, and we learn tonight that that's what it was.
wow no one seems to want to take a comanding lead in this series. I think it will come down to the 7 game
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting M_V_P:</div><div class="quote_post">wow no one seems to want to take a comanding lead in this series. I think it will come down to the 7 game</div> we've seen all the command we're going to see in the first and fourth games and now it's up to the c's to show some intensity, which they seem capable of doing in spurts (think back to the toine deal) and the pacers don't really seem capable of doing the same not that they're a bad team, they just cheat a lot and i hate them and we will stomp what is left of them with a small running lineup and carlisle will be forced to counter with winners like scot pollard and david harrison (who we shouldn't see again in the playoffs, which for the pacers will be over in two more games) no game seven no nothing it's c's running away from here on out
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting Ignignot:</div><div class="quote_post"> not that they're a bad team, they just cheat a lot and i hate them</div> Anybody else loving the new guy?
Very nice adjustment from Doc to go small, really seemed to pick up the running game. It's about time we started to dictate the pace of this series. A few times 3 of the Pacers never made it across half court. Also, kudos for leaking that it would be Jefferson, then Perk that would get the start. Doc may finally be figured out this "misdirection in the play-offs" thing. Most important thing for the Celtics to do now is remember what happened the last time they blew the Pacers out. They didn't gain any momentum, simply regained home court advantage.
Welcome to new member and comments <div class="quote_poster">Quoting 44Thrilla:</div><div class="quote_post"> Anybody else loving the new guy?</div> I do. His posts are knowledgable and funny. Welcome to JBB Ignignot! It's always good to see a Celtics fanon the boards. Great win for us. We really needed this game and all the players came out with a sense of urgency and a high level of intensity. You guys have already posted Pierce's stats so there's no need for me to, but all I have to say about his play, <font color="seagreen">FANTASTIC!</font> Davis also played well last night. He had 15 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. Lafrentz also gave us a spark with his 11 points. Payton looked like he was 25 again, he really played great defense on Miller last night. And congratulation to Delonte West for scoring a career playoff high of 14 points! Let's hope we can play with the same intensity in game 5. Walkers return should help some, but I must say we play great without him. Box Score
<div class="quote_poster">Quoting AA13:</div><div class="quote_post">I do. His posts are knowledgable and funny. Welcome to JBB Ignignot! It's always good to see a Celtics fanon the boards. Great win for us. We really needed this game and all the players came out with a sense of urgency and a high level of intensity. You guys have already posted Pierce's stats so there's no need for me to, but all I have to say about his play, <font color="seagreen">FANTASTIC!</font> Davis also played well last night. He had 15 points, 2 assists and 2 rebounds. Lafrentz also gave us a spark with his 11 points. Payton looked like he was 25 again, he really played great defense on Miller last night. And congratulation to Delonte West for scoring a career playoff high of 14 points! Let's hope we can play with the same intensity in game 5. Walkers return should help some, but I must say we play great without him. Box Score</div> We DID play great without him, but just remember what this team was earlier in the year without him. A barely five hundred team that was due for a seven or eight seed if anything. Then again, that stat might be irrelevant thank to some other major changes. Jiri no longer hogs Ricky's minutes (thank God, there's only so much clearly injured basketball you can watch and not wonder about the coaching), the rookies were nowhere near where they are now, especially Delonte and Al, and most notably Raef is healthy again and my main man Blountage no longer starts or even gets significant minutes. With Jiri and Blount gone, that's like 5 TO's a game gone right there, and if you told Cavs fans four years ago that Ricky Davis would come to start on a winning team and actually increase their ball control and court awareness in another four years they'd laugh at you and know that you weren't talking about him doing it for their team, because nobody can, or even will, especially not Ricky. With that said, I would also like to congratulate our man Dan (Ainge, that is) for not being too big to see that he was wrong about Blount. Yes, I know he shopped Pierce and Blount as something of a package after their signing him this offseason, but hey, I'm willing to forgive because he's done nothing but be right all along, and I'm glad us fans can see that now. It may sound like BS, but I have said for a while now that Ainge knew what he was doing, and this draft proved it. He's trying to build a core like the 80's teams he was on. The prolific scorer and all around player (Pierce fitting that bill to some extent, but not Bird-like), the solid perimeter defender (DJ's role back in the day, Allen's now, and also Ricky, but with Ricky we have the added benefit of some outstanding offense), the diverse and talented running big man (supposed to be Blount, but in retrospect Raef is a more diversely skilled big man), and of course the solid veteran point leadership. The rookies will get the handle of this style and make this team even more formidable in the coming years, and I don't know if anyone's noticed, but Ainge hasn't let a single major player in his plan slip away so far. And not only that, but he's even keeping most everyone happy too, with the help of Doc. Best of all, I must say that Ainge has done everything the way he said he would. He's rebuilt the scrambling mess we were left with at the end of last year, and made this team better and better since he's gotten here. Thanks Dan. That was quite a tangent, all I wanted to say was that Ainge did a good job sucking up and dealing with the fact that his exception last off season that he worked so hard to keep on board hasn't panned out and he's just accepted that a moved on. Not every GM can do that and not get publicly angry about it too. Maybe he thinks if he just holds on, Blount will play another walk year like his one last season. Yeah right.
You're amongst friends here, and most of us have been Ainge-followers all along, too. I'm actually an Ainge groupie. I love everything he's done, and the few bad things are nothing in comparison. In Danny, I trust!
