<div align="center"> <span style="font-size:24pt;line-height:100%">@</span> December 29, 2006 - 10:30 pm ET</div> <span style="color:#009900">Boston Celtics</span> <span style="color:#000000">(10-17)</span> <span style="color:#000000">PG</span> <span style="color:#009900">Delonte West</span> <span style="color:#000000">SG</span> <span style="color:#009900">Tony Allen</span> <span style="color:#000000">SF</span> <span style="color:#009900">Gerald Green</span> <span style="color:#000000">PF</span> <span style="color:#009900">Ryan Gomes</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">Wally Szczerbiak, Sebastian Telfair, Kendrick Perkins, Brian Scalabrine, Rajon Rondo</span> <span style="color:#000099">Golden State Warriors</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">(15-15)</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">PG</span> <span style="color:#000099">Baron Davis</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">SG</span> <span style="color:#000099">Jason Richardson</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">SF</span> <span style="color:#000099">Matt Barnes</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">PF</span> <span style="color:#000099">Mickael Pietrus</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">C</span> <span style="color:#000099">Andris Biedrins</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">Key Bench Players:</span> <span style="color:#000099">Mike Dunleavy, Ike Diogu, Keith McLeod, Adonal Foyle</span> Injury Report <span style="color:#FF6600">GS:</span> <span style="color:#000099">Monta Ellis will not play (right shoulder)</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">GS:</span> <span style="color:#000099">Troy Murphy will not play (sore left foot)</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Paul Pierce will not play (stress reaction in left foot)</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Theo Ratliff will not play (lower back)</span> Who To Watch Out For <span style="color:#009900">Wally Szczerbiak</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 17.6 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 2.1 apg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Al Jefferson</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 12.9 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 1.4 bpg As A Starter: 15.7 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 1.8 bpg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Gerald Green</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 6.9 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 0.8 apg, 49% 3FG As A Starter: 18.3 ppg, 8.0 rpg, 1.7 spg, 53% 3FG</span> <span style="color:#000099">Baron Davis</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">Season Stats: 21.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 8.6 apg, 2.0 spg</span> <span style="color:#000099">Jason Richardson</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">Season Stats: 13.1 ppg, 4.2 rpg, 2.7 apg</span> <span style="color:#000099">Andris Biedrins</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">Season Stats: 10.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.1 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">3.6 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.3 apg, 1.0 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">3.3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.7 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000000">BOS:</span> <span style="color:#009900">Allan Ray</span> <span style="color:#000000">Overall Selection: Undrafted</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#009900">2.8 ppg, 0.6 rpg</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">GS:</span> <span style="color:#000099">Patrick O'Bryant</span> Overall Selection: 9 <span style="color:#FF6600">Season Stats:</span> <span style="color:#000099">2.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 0.8 apg</span> <span style="color:#009900">Boston's X-Factor</span> <span style="color:#009900">Tony Allen</span> <span style="color:#000000">Season Stats: 8.9 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.0 spg As A Starter: 13.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.6 spg</span> <span style="color:#009900">TA has been awesome lately. I mean excellent. But in a game vs. Golden State, with guards like Baron Davis and Jason Richardson, we need one thing: DEFENSE. TA needs to bring the D tonight, like he has been.</span> <span style="color:#000099">Golden State's X-Factor</span> <span style="color:#000099">Andris Biedrins</span> <span style="color:#FF6600">Season Stats: 10.7 ppg, 9.1 rpg, 2.1 bpg</span> <span style="color:#000099">He has a real good chance at stopping Big Al. Al has been on a tear lately, but Biedrins is an excellent shot blocker and rebounder. Big Al could have a lot of problems again tonight.</span> <div align="center">Key Matchup vs. <span style="color:#009900">Al Jefferson</span> <span style="color:#000000">vs.</span> <span style="color:#000099">Andris Biedrins</span></div> <span style="color:#000000">Big Al had some problems the other night in LA with Brand and Kaman blocking his shots. Well, Biedrins is one of those guys as well, so we'll see how he responds. Last time we played Golden State, Al ended up with 13 and 11 on 5-7 shooting, so we'll see what happens tonight.</span> CelticBalla's Extra Thoughts/Notes Golden State is VERY exciting and talented, one of my favorite teams to watch. This will be small ball vs. small ball! It's about time to see who's balls are smaller! CelticBalla's Prediction This is going to be another tough one, but it is winnable, even without Paul Pierce. I still say Golden State wins this one, and they are the better team, but we could.
This is a tough matchup in the backcourt for us. whoever we put TA on, the other guard ios going to smoke us. Bassy cannot guard Davis at all. Davis is much faster and and stronger. Delonte has a fighting chance, but it will be difficult.depending on how Davis does, the Celtics will win or lose this. Offensively, Boston will obviously get theirs, but last time they just couldn't do anything to stop Davis.
I'm definitely eager to see how Al matched up with Andris, and I agree that Wally needs to step it up tonight if we have any chance at winning. I'll just be watching how Al and Gerald do again, at least this time we have a fair chance without a biased official.
It wouldn't surprise me, taking into account his recent success and the fact that Wally is coming back from an injury.
I'm not working tomorrow so I'm going to watch this one :beerchug:I think I might need to be doing a lot of this while I watch so I dont tweak though --> :beerchug::drunk:
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>This is a tough matchup in the backcourt for us. whoever we put TA on, the other guard ios going to smoke us.</div>I agree that Bassy will have problems, but Monta Ellis is not expected to play, so that will relieve a little bit of pressure. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div><div class='quotemain'>Am I mistaken, or is Gerald Green really starting over Wally Szczerbiak?</div> When Pierce and Wally were healthy, Allen was starting over Wally for a defensive spark in the first unit (along with a scoring spark off the bench in Wally), so for the time being, Tony Allen has "taken the starting job from Wally." And Gerald Green started on Wednesday night, when Wally played 28 minutes off the bench, so I'm assuming he will again. Also, with the amazing athleticism in the Warriors starting lineup, I think Gerald should start over Wally. Wally is a worse defensive player than Gerald at this point, really. Pietrus and Richardson would be too hot to handle for Wally, he couldn't even stick with Morrison.
Monta barely played against you guys last game, and we still won. I think that without Pierce, the Warriors will have a much easier game. Pietrus and Biedrins will have good games, as will Jefferson and Green, but we have the upper hand.
^^ I agree the warriors have the upperhandjust the fact that we dont have pierce puts us in a bad positionthis team is very prone to foul trouble because of the lack of experienceif I were the warriors I would just try to get the ball to biedrins or murphy a lot and get Big Al into foul trouble earlyif you do that its gonna be very hard for the celtics to do anything because Big Al is so good on the boards and gives the celts a lot of second chance pointsunless Gerald is wetif he is that sucks for you guys
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CABANGBANG @ Dec 29 2006, 08:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>Monta barely played against you guys last game, and we still won. I think that without Pierce, the Warriors will have a much easier game. Pietrus and Biedrins will have good games, as will Jefferson and Green, but we have the upper hand.</div>You won because Kenny Mauer was officiating, there's nothing more to it.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (JustBlaze @ Dec 29 2006, 06:32 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>You won because Kenny Mauer was officiating, there's nothing more to it.</div>The officiating was horrible both ways.<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (playaofthegame @ Dec 29 2006, 05:55 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>^^ I agree the warriors have the upperhandjust the fact that we dont have pierce puts us in a bad positionthis team is very prone to foul trouble because of the lack of experienceif I were the warriors I would just try to get the ball to biedrins or murphy a lot and get Big Al into foul trouble earlyif you do that its gonna be very hard for the celtics to do anything because Big Al is so good on the boards and gives the celts a lot of second chance pointsunless Gerald is wetif he is that sucks for you guys </div>Murphy is out, thankfully, and if we were to dump it in to him, he'd dribble out 10 feet, and try to shoot a jumper. Biedrins is scary down low, he'll dribble slow for a while and then turn quickly, and drop a hook on you. If Green gets going, I'll bring out MP
I just heard some good news from Greg Dickerson on FSN: Delonte West will give it a go tonight. I don't know if he is going to start or not, but he did say that Wally will come off the bench again.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE (CABANGBANG @ Dec 29 2006, 10:20 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}></div><div class='quotemain'>The officiating was horrible both ways.</div>It was waaaay in your favor, anytime Kenny's officiating a game we're already at a major disadvantage, it's a well known fact that he hates Paul Pierce and the Celtics.
OK, I am PISSED after the first half. We aren't down by much, I know, we started to come back a bit. But Doc played Wally almost the entire first half, coming off the bench, and he SUCKED. He turned the ball over, missed his shots, took bad shots, played HORRIBLE defense, and didn't move too well. Yet, Gerald plays the first 4 minutes of the first half, then sits the rest. OH WAIT, I forgot.. Doc gave him the last 20 seconds too. Yay.. Friggen absured. Like I said in my thread I made earlier tonight... the young guy (Gerald, in this case) makes one mistake, and gets benched. Then the "veterans" of the team get unlimited mistakes, Doc never sits them or yells at them. Gerald didn't take a shot in his 4 minutes, was that his mistake? OK Doc, rather than teaching him and telling him to shoot, you sit him down the entire half? Yeah, that'll teach him... you friggen schmuck.
Powe played amazingGerald played amazingwhen they were out there....which was rareWally played like 40+ minutes..anybody else pissed about that?
Well Wally played like sh*t, 3-17 (I think) shooting, Al didn't rebound as well against Andris but still had a solid game, and we had good all around contributions from West, Gomes and Allen.Andris had a great game though, (he's on my fantasy team :biggrinDefinitely bullsh** that Wally played that much instead of Gerald, he did awful.
