12/8/12
Wow, put this game into the history books in the classic
76ers vs. Celtics rivalry. The 76ers were embarrassed on Tuesday against the
Minnesota Timberwolves on their home floor. Tonight they wanted to show the
fans and Coach Doug Collins that what he saw on Tuesday was a fluke. The
Celtics revolve around their “Big Three” players in Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce,
and Rajon Rondo. The one weakness the Celtics have is rebounding. Will the
76ers, who have a tough time with rebounding, be able to exploit the Celtics’
weakness? Both teams had a 10-8 record going into this game. The 76ers had a
few injuries in Nick Young, Kwame Brown, and Royal Ivey. Nick Young missed his
third consecutive game with a hyperextended great left toe. Brown missed the
game due to the flu. Ivey strained his groin in the game on Tuesday and was
unable to play last night. Avery Bradley was the only injury for the Celtics to
report.
The first half was neck and neck. The first quarter was an
unusual high scoring quarter since both teams are known for defense. Then in
the second quarter, both teams buckled down on defense. At halftime the Celtics
led 50-46. Pierce led the Celtics with 15 points, but Rondo played an
unbelievable first half. He had a double-double in the first half. He scored 14
points and collected 10 rebounds and dished out eight assists. Evan Turner led
the 76ers with 12 points, but the big surprise in this half was the play of
Spencer Hawes. Hawes has been in a slump and last night seemed like the perfect
night to end his slump. He came off the bench and scored eight of his 10 points
in the half.
The 76ers came back into this game with a strong second half
performance. They found holes in the Celtics defense with great ball movement.
The Celtics were trapping the 76ers players whenever they had the ball in the
corners. The 76ers found open men near the basket and made their shots.
However, the Celtics made adjustments in the fourth quarter and stifled the
76ers on offense. Both the Celtics and 76ers played great defense in the fourth
quarter. The 76ers could have won this game in regulation, but Garnett had
other plans and wanted to extend this game into overtime. The score was tied at
89. Once again Turner led the 76ers with 12 points in the half. Pierce and Jeff
Green both led the Celtics with 12 points too.
The only way to settle this game was to finish it off in
overtime. Jrue Holiday fouled out of the game with four minutes left to go in
overtime. Would the 76ers be able to generate offense without their primary
ball handler? Turner, who played unbelievably in the game overall, answered
that question by hitting the game winning shot for the 76ers with 3.9 seconds
left in the game. The Celtics had one last chance to get a shot up with 2.7
seconds left, but Rondo’s shot missed everything and the 76ers won the game
95-94. Turner had a double-double and finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds.
Thaddeus Young also had a double-double and ended the game with 17 points and
12 rebounds. Jason Richardson didn’t play his best game, but finished with 13
points. Holiday played a solid game until he
fouled out scoring 15 points and dishing out six assists. Rondo finished with a
triple-double. He collected 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 14 assists. Garnett had
a double-double scoring 17 points and snatching 10 rebounds. Pierce ended with
27 points in the game. Green was a big boost off the bench scoring 19 points and
grabbing eight rebounds.
Overall, the 76ers played very well compared to Tuesday’s
clunker. For some reason Turner plays his best games against the Celtics
compared to the other teams in the NBA. The 76ers have to continue to use that
great ball movement, set picks for one another, and cut hard to the basket to
score those hard earned points. The three pointers can’t be relied on every
game as it showed last night. The 76ers shot 2-11 from three point range while
the Celtics shot 6-22. Richardson and Dorell Wright shot a combined 0-8 from
three while Pierce and Jason Terry shot 2-15 from three point range combined.
The 76ers outrebounded the Celtics, which I expected them to do.
Is Evan Turner the Boston Strangler Part
Two? Sound off and stay tuned to my next entry tonight when the 76ers travel to
Boston to take on the Celtics.
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