[NBA] Boston Celtics Thread

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight the Celtics play our divisional rivals the 76ers.

Originally Posted by nba.com

Boston (14-21) at Philadelphia (17-1 8:00 pm EST

PHILADELPHIA (Ticker) -- For the fifth time this season, the Boston Celtics will attempt to put together consecutive wins on the road when they visit the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.

A 4-13 road team this season, the Celtics rallied for a 98-94 victory in Atlanta on Tuesday in the opener of a three-game trek that snapped a three-game slide overall.

Paul Pierce scored 27 points and Ricky Davis added 21, including a key three-point play with 1:40 left, lifting Boston to just its first win in three games this season with the lowly Hawks.

The Celtics allowed 62 points in the first half before putting on the clamps defensively and holding an opponent under 100 points for the first time this month.

The 76ers suffered their first home loss in nearly a month in Wednesday's 110-102 setback to Utah, despite Allen Iverson's 46 points. Iverson shot 16-of-25 from the floor in his ninth 40-point effort this season, chipping in nine of Philadelphia's 18 assists and four of its nine steals.

Chris Webber added 21 points but the Sixers were outscored, 62-51, in the second half. It was the first loss in nine home games against a Western Conference opponent.

Pierce and Davis combined for 58 points and Kendrick Perkins had career highs of 12 and 19 rebounds in Boston's 110-103 victory November 30 in the first meeting between the teams.

Porbable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef LaFrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Ricky Davis
G: Delonte West



C: Samuel Dalembert
F: Chris Webber
F: Andre Iguodala
G: Kyle Korver
G: Allen Iverson

[Tealey7]

Game Review]

We played last night against a team from our division, Philly. Let's see what happened.

Originally Posted by nba.com

PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 13 (Ticker) -- Chris Webber now has a permanent place in Philadelphia 76ers-Boston Celtics folklore.

In a triple-overtime thriller, Webber had 31 points, 13 rebounds and seemingly every big play as the 76ers outlasted the Celtics, 125-124.


Allen Iverson had 33 points and 10 assists, Samuel Dalembert added 20, 11 rebounds and seven blocks and Kyle Korver had a huge 3-pointer at the double-overtime buzzer for the Sixers, who overcame a 16-point third-quarter deficit and trailed in all three extra sessions.

It was the 395th all-time meeting between the storied franchises and one that will be remembered for a long time. Players on both teams were on the verge of exhaustion but kept making big plays, none more so than Webber, who appeared to have more bounce in his step as the game wore on.

"You come too far," Webber said. "Each minute that you play draws you in more. You've played this many minutes, this many quarters, that you can't turn back now. There's no time to be tired. You'll be tired tonight and tomorrow, but it's going to feel good watching some football games with a win."

The highlight came in the first overtime, when Webber went behind his back and through his legs with a dribble before throwing a lob to Dalembert for a dunk and a 107-103 lead with 2:23 remaining. Teammate Andre Iguodala grabbed his head in disbelief.

"It's been something that I've been doing for a long time," Webber said. "It's was more out of necessity than being fancy. I'm glad that Sam read it. I to try to give him an 'oop' earlier and it didn't connect. It felt good when he got that one."

"I told Chris to keep driving the ball," Dalembert said, "Chris drove the ball and (Celtics center Mark) Blount was edging to the other side. Chris just threw the ball up and I went to get it."

But Webber's biggest play came on the defensive end. After he made two free throws with 1:22 left in the third overtime, the teams traded a pair of empty possessions.

Blount rebounded Korver's missed 3-pointer, but Webber sneaked behind him, knocked the ball loose and corraled it with about 10 seconds to play. The Celtics appeared both stunned and exhausted and finally fouled Iverson with two seconds to go.

"(Blount) was looking to the bench to get some instructions," Webber said. "We had just missed a shot and I didn't want to get into another overtime. The only thing that I was worried about was trying not to foul. I'm glad that I didn't foul and I'm glad we got the win."

Iverson missed the first, then intentionally missed the second. With no timeouts, the Celtics could only get Delonte West's 60-foot runner, which hit the backboard, ending the 3:43 marathon.

"It was a great game to be a part of," Celtics forward Paul Pierce said. "There were a lot of emotional high and lows. It's mentality draining, but I'm glad I had a chance to be a part of it."

"We had ample opportunities to close it out," said West who played collegiately at nearby St. Joseph's. "The league is funny. Big shots come from everywhere. Anyone can step up at any moment. Guys stepped up on both sides, but they just closed us out."

Webber's heroics would have been wasted if not for Korver. The Celtics inexplicably did not foul Iverson as he dribbled the length of the court or Korver as he took a pass, faked once and drilled his first basket since intermission, drawing a "Wow!" from Pierce.

"Allen just knows that I'm going to circle back behind him," Korver said. "I tried to pump fake it and get a foul. They didn't go for it and they jumped out of the way. I took a dribble to the side. I pulled up and gave it all I had. It was on line and luckily, I knocked it down."

"Once they got across halfcourt, you don't want to take that chance on fouling him, " Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "If we were going to do it, we should have done it in the frontcourt. We did give it some thought, but as a team we haven't done it that much, so we decided not to do it. He made a great shot and you've got to give him credit."

In the fourth quarter, Webber scored five points in an 8-0 burst that got Philadelphia back into the game, then threw in a lefthanded hook with 3:10 left that gave the Sixers a 98-97 lead - their first of the second half. That was the first of nine lead changes and six ties until the final horn.

Blount, who had a season-high 27 points and 12 rebounds, answered with a jumper before Dalembert dunked and Iverson made a free throw for a 101-99 edge with 1:32 to play. But West blocked a shot by Iverson and buried a jumper with 51 seconds to go, setting up the first overtime.

Webber threw in a hook and a jumper before his stunning setup for Dalembert. But Ricky Davis - who had season highs of 33 points and nine assists - made a pair of jumpers around two free throws by Pierce, giving Boston a 109-107 lead with 40 seconds remaining.

But Dalembert snared an offensive rebound and the 62 percent foul shooter drained both free throws to tie it again with 27 seconds left before Davis missed a jumper.

Webber's 3-pointer pulled Philadelphia into a 114-114 tie, but Blount answered with a three-point play with 2:18 to go. Iverson made a jumper before fatigue appeared to set in as Iverson missed a jumper, Pierce missed two free throws, Iverson threw a bad pass and Blount shot an airball.

"Both teams want to win and they want to do everything possible," Pierce said. "You don't think about the fatigue factor. You're just trying to grind it out to get the win."

Webber sank a leaner for a 118-117 lead with 21 seconds to play. But Blount stormed down the lane for a dunk, and the Sixers looked done when Webber was called for an offensive foul with 7.9 seconds left.

Brian Scalabrine caught his own inbounds pass off Korver's back and was fouled with 6.5 seconds to go. He sank both free throws for a 121-118 lead, setting the stage for Korver.

Iguodala had 14 points and nine rebounds, Korver scored 12 points and John Salmons 11 for the Sixers (18-1, who climbed back to .500 in their first triple-overtime game since November 20, 1992 vs. Miami.

"I don't think that I've ever been involved in a three-overtime game," Webber said. "I'm just proud of us because we didn't give up. We were down three in a couple of the overtimes and we didn't do something out of character. We stuck with the game plan and that's why we won."

Pierce had 18 points, 10 assists and nine rebounds but made just 4-of-20 shots as he was hounded by Iguodala. West scored 17 points and Kendrick Perkins added 10 and 11 boards for the Celtics (14-22), who played their first triple-OT game since Feb. 17, 1999 vs. Vancouver.

Davis played 57 minutes and Iverson, Iguodala, Webber and Pierce and played more than 50. Blount played 47 minutes off the bench.

The Celtics scored a season-high 65 points in the first half and extended their margin to 78-62 midway through the third quarter before Sixers coach Maurice Cheeks pulled Iverson, Webber and Korver and went with a defensive lineup.

"They just controlling the game and our defense was not that good," Cheeks said. "Everyone that we had out on the floor was not playing defense. I tried to insert some guys that were going to give us a little energy, give us a little defense and they turned the game around. Those guys that I put in there helped us get back in the game. Everyone that came in the game had a part in the victory."

We lost by a point, 125-124. Ouch.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----10
F: Raef LaFrentz----3
F: Paul Pierce----18
G: Ricky Davis----33
G: Delonte West----17

Bench

C: Mark Blount----27
F: Brian Scalabrine----2
F: Al Jefferson----2
G: Tony Allen----9
G: Marcus Banks----0
G: Orien Greene----3

Current Standings

New Jersey: 19-14
Philadelphia: 18-17
Boston: 14-22
New York: 13-21
Toronto: 12-24

Our next game is on Monday against the second best team in the NBA last season, the Detroit Pistons.

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Our next game is tonight against the Pistons. Here's a preview.

Originally Posted by nba.com

Boston (14-22) at Detroit (29-5) 3:30 pm EST

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) - With their efficient winning ways, the Detroit Pistons could be accused of playing on cruise control.

Owners of the league's best record, the Pistons can become the first team to record 30 wins this season when they battle the Boston Celtics on Monday.

Off to one of the best starts by any team in history, the Pistons have won five of their six January contests and 14 of their last 16 overall. Detroit ranks second in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (39.7) and assists (23.9) and is fifth in points allowed (90.9).

In Saturday's 114-91 win over Charlotte Bobcats, Richard Hamilton scored 19 points and Maurice Evans added 18 for the Pistons, who had seven players in double figures. Detroit shot 54 percent (42-of-7 from the floor, including 9-of-17 from the arc.

Playing the finale of a three-game road trip, the Celtics could use an emotional boost after Friday's 125-124 triple-overtime loss to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Ricky Davis scored 33 points and Mark Blount added 27 with 12 rebounds for Boston, which committed 26 turnovers and failed to hold a 10-point fourth-quarter lead.

The Pistons defeated the Celtics twice in 12 days in November and have taken eight of the last nine overall meetings, including four straight at home.

Probable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef LaFrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Ricky Davis
G: Delonte West



C: Ben Wallace
F: Rasheed Wallace
F: Tayshaun Prince
G: Chauncey Billups
G: Richard Hamilton

[Tealey7]

Game Review

On Monday night we played the Pistons. Let's see how it went.

http://www.nba.com/media/pistons/BILLUPS_300_060116.jpg

Originally Posted by nba.com

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., Jan. 16 (Ticker) -- The Boston Celtics didn't have one single player who could contain Rasheed Wallace in the third quarter.

Wallace scored 18 of his 23 points in the third period and Richard Hamilton added 18 as the Detroit Pistons won their fourth straight game, a 94-84 triumph over the Celtics.


A 6-11 forward with 3-point range, Wallace is having one of his best seasons from the arc, shooting 41 percent and ranking 14th in the NBA with 70 3-pointers. On Monday, he made 9-of-12 shots, including 3-of-6 from the arc, while grabbing nine rebounds.

"It was just shooting," said Wallace, who added three assists. "I was just playing within the offense."

Wallace had a 3-pointer late in the second quarter and came out on fire in the third quarter, connecting on 7-of-9 shots. His second 3-pointer of the period with four seconds left helped build a 73-65 advantage entering the fourth quarter.

"Rasheed killed us in the fourth quarter the last time we played Detroit, and he beat us in the third quarter Monday," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "He got it going, and when he'lalalalaing fadeaways from the elbow like that, I'm not sure if you can do anything about it."

"We were trying to go to him, inside and outside," said Detroit guard Chauncey Billups, who had 13 points and 16 assists. "We were going to keep going to him until he got tired."

The Pistons were nursing an 80-74 lead with under six minutes remaining when Tayshaun Prince scored on a runner and a 3-pointer from the right corner to rebuild the lead to double digits. Prince scored nine of his 13 points in the final quarter.

"They went to a zone, and that means they are trying to get the ball out of Rip's (Hamilton) hands, so we have to make shots," said Prince, who made 6-of-10 shots.

Reserve Carlos Delfino scored a season-high 11 points and Ben Wallace added nine and 14 rebounds for Detroit, which shot 50 percent (35-of-70) overall and 8-of-19 from 3-point range.

Paul Pierce scored 21 points and Delonte West added 21 and seven rebounds for the Celtics, who shot a dismal 2-of-13 from the arc. Ricky Davis was held in check, going scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting.

"That's the best team in basketball, and we should have known they were going to make a run," said Pierce, who grabbed seven rebounds. "But when they did, and they got the crowd into the game - and Rasheed had a big part in that - we got rattled. We stopped being aggressive and we let them take control of the game."

The Celtics took a 29-17 advantage with 9:34 to go in the second quarter on Tony Allen's driving layup. But the Pistons stormed back, using a 19-6 spurt to take a 41-40 lead at intermission. Billups had 11 points and eight assists.

"In the first quarter, we didn't move the ball and Boston did a great job of hitting shots," Prince said. "The second unit came in and Chauncey got the ball moving for them and got all of them involved."

So we lost 94-84. So near but yet so far.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----10
F: Raef LaFrentz----5
F: Paul Pierce----21
G: Ricky Davis----0
G: Delonte West----20

Bench

C: Mark Blount----12
F: Al Jefferson----8
F: Justin Reed----0
G: Tony Allen----4
G: Orien Greene----4

Current Standings

New Jersey: 20-15
Philadelphia: 18-19
Boston: 14-23
New York: 13-23
Toronto: 13-25

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight we play the T-Wolves.

Originally Posted by nba.com

Minnesota (18-17) at Boston (14-23) 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The surging Minnesota Timberwolves attempt to continue their dominance when visiting the Boston Celtics on Wednesday.

Winners of three straight, the Timberwolves have won seven of the last nine meetings in Boston and appear to be bouncing back from a rough December and early January. After a five-game winning streak to start December, Minnesota lost seven of its last nine contests to end the year and four of its first five to start 2006.

With their 96-90 victory over New York on Monday, the Wolves ended a seven-game skid on the road and posted their first successful streak of the year.

Kevin Garnett, named Western Conference Player of the Week for Jan. 9-15, scored 24 points, pulled down 16 rebounds and handed out six assists for Minnesota, which had five players in double figures. Wally Szczerbiak collected 24 points and eight boards and Troy Hudson netted 16 points off the bench.

The Celtics dropped their sixth game in their last eight in Monday's 94-84 setback against Detroit. Paul Pierce led Boston with 21 points and seven assists and Delonte West added 20 and seven rebounds. Boston's second leading scorer at 20 points per game, Ricky Davis was held scoreless on 0-of-8 shooting.

Despite being dominated here by the the Wolves lately, the Celtics have won five of the last seven meetings overall. The teams split the two contests last year with the visiting team winning each time.

Probable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef LaFrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Ricky Davis
G: Delonte West



C: Eddie Griffin
F: Kevin Garnett
F: Wally Szczerbiak
G: Trenton Hassell
G: Marko Jaric

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night we played the T-Wolves. And won. For the first time in yonks.

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Jan. 18 (Ticker) -- Although Paul Pierce's second-half turnaround was vital, the Boston Celtics got contributions from unlikely sources in their comeback.

Pierce scored 20 of his 25 points in the second half while Al Jefferson scored 18 points and Kendrick Perkins added a career-high 17 as the Celtics rallied for a 103-96 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Considered the future of the franchise, Jefferson (a 2004 first-round pick out of high school) and fellow big man Perkins (a 2003 first-rounder out of high school) reached double digits in the same game for the first time in their brief careers.

Celtics coach Doc Rivers has been reluctant to play them at the same time for most of the season, but the two combined for almost 17 minutes and 12 points in the fourth quarter.

"I hope he can just have the confidence to let us go out there and play together," Jefferson said. "He always said that we're the future. So I'm saying, 'Let's go. Let's go out there right now, make our mistakes and learn from it and let's become better players together.'"

The Timberwolves appeared headed for their fourth straight triumph overall and eighth in their last 10 visits here as they held an 11-point advantage early in the third quarter.

Pierce, who made just 1-of-8 shots in the opening half, scored six points in the third period to help Boston chip away at the deficit. Delonte West added eight of his 14 points in the session, knocking down Minnesota's lead to 73-69 at the start of the fourth quarter.

The Celtics took their first lead since the opening quarter thanks to Pierce's hot shooting to start the fourth period.

Boston's captain opened the final quarter with a dunk and converted a conventional three-point play before putting the Celtics up, 77-73, after burying a 3-pointer from the top of the arc.

"With the lineup we had out there, I was looking to be aggressive early," Pierce said. "I had some drives to lane and a couple of threes. I was just making sure we ran our stuff."

Boston's second-half surge was magnified on the defensive end of the floor as Minnesota shot just 38 percent in the second half after lighting up the scoreboard for 55 points on 53 percent shooting in the first half.

"We weren't able to do anything on the offensive end that we were doing in the first half," Minnesota superstar Kevin Garnett said. "We were not spacing and moving correctly and we weren't able to figure out what they are doing. They played well when they had to."

"I thought we would respond a little bit more offensively in the second half," Wolves coach Dwane Casey said. "Every big play we had, there was an opportunity to extend the lead and we didn't come up with making the play."

Although Boston briefly surrendered the lead, it regained it for good during a 10-2 burst during which Perkins scored six points. Jefferson capped it with a layup that made it 91-84 with 1:58 remaining.

Garnett scored 13 of his 29 points in the first quarter but managed only two in the fourth period for the Timberwolves. He added 13 rebounds.

A good win against the team with Kevin Garnett and not a lot else.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----17
F: Raef LaFrentz----5
F: Paul Pierce----25
G: Ricky Davis----10
G: Delonte West----14

Bench

C: Mark Blount----2
F: Al Jefferson----18
F: Justin Reed----3
F: Brian Scalabrine----2
G: Marcus Banks----4
G: Tony Allen----2
G: Orien Greene----1

Current Standings

New Jersey: 21-15
Philadelphia: 18-20
Boston: 15-23
New York: 13-24
Toronto: 13-26

Our next game is on Friday against our divisonal rivals, the New Jersey Nets.

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night we played the runaway team from our divison, the New Jersey Nets. Let's see what happened.

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Jan. 20 (Ticker) -- Ricky Davis helped the Boston Celtics to a rare winning streak.

Davis scored 12 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter as the Celtics posted a 99-96 victory over the New Jersey Nets in the opener of a home-and-home series.


Paul Pierce scored 25 points to lead the Celtics (16-23), who put together consecutive wins for just the second time this season. They will try for their first three-game winning streak Saturday when they visit the Nets. The Celtics' win came with some tense moments in the waning seconds.

A follow shot by Al Jefferson with 1:25 remaining gave the Celtics a 97-93 lead. But Jason Kidd hit an acrobatic 3-pointer with 38 seconds left and drew a foul from Pierce. However, he was unable to convert at the line, keeping the Celtics in front.

After Davis missed a jumper, the Nets had a chance to take the lead, getting the ball back with 12.3 seconds remaining.

Vince Carter got the ball at the top of the key, guarded by Pierce, drove to his right heading down the lane and lofted a running righthander over two defenders. The ball hit the back of the rim and the rebound was coralled by Davis.

"I was trying to get to the basket to win the game," said Carter, who made just 6-of-19 shots. "I had a good look. I felt like I gave myself a chance. I just missed it."

"I know what he's capable of," Pierce said. "I wanted to challenge him, stay in front of him, make it tough on him and make him finish over the top and that's what I was able to do."

Davis made two free throws with 3.1 seconds left, giving the Celtics a 99-96 lead.

Following a timeout, Carter's long 3-pointer clanged off the back of the rim as time expired.

"Almost made it," Jefferson, who finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds. "When it left his hand, I said, 'No.' Then halfway in the air I said, 'That's Vince Carter. He's known for that.'"

Kendrick Perkins scored 11 points and Delonte West added 10 for the Celtics, who led by as many as 13 points in the first half before settling for a 53-44 advantage at the break.

Kidd collected 24 points, seven rebounds and seven assists for New Jersey, which has dropped four of five on the road.

The Nets used a 12-2 run in the third quarter capped by Cliff Robinson's 3-pointer to take a 68-67 lead. But the Celtics regained a 77-74 advantage entering the final period.

"We played well defensively in the second half," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "We were able to force some turnovers (eight) and create some opportunities. We gave ourselves a chance to win tonight and we just couldn't get it done."

After the Nets took an 85-82 lead with 7:14 remaining on Richard Jefferson's follow shot, Davis drained consecutive jumpers to spark an 8-2 surge that put the Celtics back in front.

Boston won despite making just 20-of-34 free throws.

Makes a change to win a couple. We won this 99-96.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----11
F: Raef LaFrentz----10
F: Paul Pierce----25
G: Ricky Davis----22
G: Delonte West----12

Bench

F: Al Jefferson----10
F: Brian Scalabrine----2
G: Tony Allen----2
G: Orien Greene----5

Current Standings

New Jersey: 21-16
Philadelphia: 19-20
Boston: 16-23
Toronto: 14-26
New York: 13-25

Makes a change to see us winning. Let's see how the Conference table is looking:

Detroit: 32-5
Miami: 23-17
New Jersey: 21-16
Indiana: 21-17
Cleveland: 20-17
Milwaukee: 20-18
Philadelphia: 19-20
Washington: 18-20
Chicago: 16-23
Boston: 16-23
Orlando: 15-22
Toronto: 14-26
New York: 13-25
Charlotte: 11-29
Atlanta: 10-28

Not good reading if you're an Atlanta fan. The top 8 are the 8 teams in the playoff places. Boston sit well placed in 10th. I'm happy with that. Our next game is tonight against the Nets. Again.

[Tealey7]

West should be Point man for Soplalalalares

http://www.nba.com/media/celtics/west_three300450.jpg

Originally Posted by nba.com

Delonte West has made a strong case to start at the point for this year's Soplalalalare team in the 2006 Rookie Challenge. West's adaptation to the point guard position, along with his silky-smooth jumper should make him a virtual lock for the team.

This year's soplalalalare class is stacked with talented guards such as Chris Duhon, T.J Ford, and last years Sixth Man Award winner Ben Gordon. While learning arguably the toughest position on the floor, West has done more than hold his own.

With the departure of Gary Payton this summer, many questioned if Delonte was the so-called "point guard of the future." He immediately proved his doubters wrong on opening night, coming one assist and one rebound shy of a triple-double. He has continued to silence his critics all season long, especially as of late. Since December 1, he has been the hottest shooter in the league, leading the NBA in field goal percentage (57.8%), and he is also 11th in three-point field goal percentage (42.2%).

Coach Doc Rivers, a former point guard himself, understands the difficulty of the position.

"With a point guard who's converted, the toughest part for him is to take an open shot," he explained. "If you're a good shooter you lose your shot for a while. When you're a bad shooter it becomes worst, because whenever you shoot you think about passing. You think about running the team."

West has always thought his game ran deeper than his shot. "I think I have an overall game," he explained. "I'm the type of guy who takes what the defense gives them. Give me a fifteen footer I'll take that. Give me a three pointer I'll take that. Give me the lane and I'll take that."

West is getting it done on the defensive end of the floor, and is ranked second among guards in the NBA in blocks. Rivers, when recently asked if he expected West to be able to run the point this smoothly after playing shooting guard throughout his college career, admitted he was impressed.

"I'm honestly surprised that it has come this quickly," said Rivers. "It usually takes a lot longer, a couple years longer."

And Rivers is not the only one surprised. Just two years ago, Delonte was passed over by 18 teams in the NBA Draft (Atlanta, Portland and Utah all had multiple picks before #24) because they questioned his ability to play the point guard position. Right now, he's showing Danny Ainge and the Celtics that not only was he was a steal as the 24th player selected, but also that the Celtics finally have that young point guard with unlimited potential to run their young team.

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night we played the Nets again. Let's see what happened.

Originally Posted by nba.com

EAST RUTHERFORD, New Jersey, Jan. 21 (Ticker) -- Vince Carter and the New Jersey Nets quickly ended any thoughts the Boston Celtics entertained of a three-game winning streak.
Carter scored 18 of his 25 points in the first half as the Nets built a huge lead and cruised to a 103-83 victory over the Celtics in the back end of a home-and-home series.


New Jersey got off to a sluggish start in Friday's 99-96 setback at Boston, but Carter prevented it from happening again with 14 points in the opening quarter. The Nets never trailed, leading by as many as 11 before blowing it open in the second period.

"We weren't pleased about our start in the first game and felt that was the difference in (Friday's) game," Carter said. "Tonight it was about energy and effort, and that's what we showed right from the tip."

"You knew they were going to come at you. It was a no-brainer," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "I don't think we understood that. Last night we came out ready to play and we were focused. We talked about that tonight, but they did it."

New Jersey scored the first eight points of the second quarter, capped by a three-point play from Nenad Krstic that made it 39-25 at the 10:08 mark.

Boston made just 5-of-19 shots in the period, missing five straight during a 12-3 run New Jersey used to build a 61-42 cushion in the final minute. Five different Nets scored during the burst, highlighted by Carter taking a pass from Jason Kidd in the lane for a thunderous one-handed dunk.

"We played as soft as a team can be," Rivers said. "They were tougher mentally, physically and there was no way we were going to win that game."

Kidd collected seven points, eight rebounds and seven assists in the first half as New Jersey scored 34 points in the paint and 19 fast-break points en route to an 18-point lead.

"We got off to a rough start up there and we had to get off to a good start," said Kidd, who had just one rebound and one assist after halftime. "We got a lead kept our lead."

"That's kind of Jason's way," Nets coach Lawrence Frank said. "He imposed his will on the game as did Vince. It was a good bounce-back win."

The Nets dominated the third period, making 8-of-14 shots and 14-of-16 free throws. They shot 51 percent (31-of-61) through three quarters and built a 91-62 lead before resting their starters with the game in hand.

Krstic added 16 points and nine rebounds and Jacque Vaughn scored a season-high 13 off the bench for New Jersey, which extended its home winning streak to eight games - matching the fourth longest in franchise history.

"We feel we're a good team and we always want to protect home, but we have to do it on the road as well," Carter said.

The Nets begin a four-game road trip in Utah on Monday.

Paul Pierce scored 20 points to pace the Celtics (16-24), who have won two in a row just twice this season.

"We knew they were going to come out with the sense of urgency they did," Pierce said. "A team is not going to let you come in and do the same thing as the night before, especially on their home court."

The Celtics shot just 37 percent (22-of-60) through three quarters and 42 percent (31-of-74) overall as they lost for the sixth time in their last seven visits here.

"It was just an awful game for us," Rivers said. "They came prepared and we didn't, and that's the coach's fault."

Yeah, we screwed up, and that's inexcusable in the NBA.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----10
F: Raef Lafrentz----5
F: Paul Pierce----20
G: Ricky Davis----9
G: Delonte West----6

Bench

C: Mark Blount----1
F: Al Jefferson----11
F: Brian Scalabrine----4
F: Justin Reed----2
G: Tony Allen----10
G: Orien Greene----4
G: Marcus Banks----1

Current Standings

New Jersey: 22-16
Philadelphia: 19-20
Boston: 16-24
Toronto: 14-26
New York: 13-26

Our next game is on Monday night at home to the New Orleans/Oaklahoma City Hornets.

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight we play the Hornets. Should be a good game. Here's a preview.

Originally Posted by nba.com

New Orleans (20-20) at Boston (16-24) 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Rookie Chris Paul looks to lead the New Orleans Hornets above .500 for the first time in over seven weeks Monday when they meet the Boston Celtics.

Paul had 27 points, 13 assists and seven rebounds in Saturday's 109-98 triumph over the New York Knicks, the Hornets' fifth win in six games.

In posting his 12th double-double of the season, Paul continued his impressive play since tearing a ligament in his right thumb two weeks ago against Portland. He was expected to be out a minimum of two weeks but missed only one game and has averaged 28 points and 8.8 assists in his last five contests.

Behind Paul, who leads all rookies in points (16.7) and assists (7.5), the Hornets have won eight of their 11 contests in January to even their record at 21-21. They have not been above .500 since they were 8-7 following an 88-86 victory over Philadelphia on December 2.

The Celtics had their modest two-game winning streak halted Saturday, dropping a 103-83 decision to the New Jersey Nets. Paul Pierce scored 20 points, but no other player contributed more than 11 for Boston, which shot just 42 percent (31-of-74) and trailed throughout.

After coasting to a 101-87 victory in Oklahoma City on December 7, Boston will be trying to sweep the series for the second straight season. Pierce scored 28 points and Ricky Davis chipped in 26 while the Hornets were paced by David West's 29.

Probable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef LaFrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Ricky Davis
G: Delonte West



C: P.J Brown
F: David West
F: Desmond Mason
G: Kirk Snyder
G: Chris Paul

[Tealey7]

Game Review

On Monday night we played the Hornets. Let's see how we got on.

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Jan. 23 (Ticker) -- Ricky Davis caught fire after halftime.

Davis scored 17 of his 32 points in the third quarter as the Boston Celtics posted a 91-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

The 6-7 Davis was on target the entire third quarter, making two 3-pointers and hitting 7-of-8 shots.

"It felt real good, the basket was kind of wide tonight," Davis said. "You don't see nobody, I don't even know who is guarding me out there. It is just a matter of getting the ball and getting it up."

Davis began his tear with a reverse jam for a three-point play with 4:04 to go in the period to cap a 15-2 run and give the Celtics a 66-53 advantage.

Davis then scored eight points in a 12-0 surge to close the period, making it 76-55. He drained a jumper with 2:45 left and consecutive 3-pointers just 24 seconds apart.

In finishing one point shy of his season high, Davis made 12-of-20 shots and handed out eight assists.

Raef LaFrentz, who made three 3-pointers in the third quarter, finished with 18 points and Paul Pierce added 16 and nine rebounds for Boston, which shot 70 percent (14-of-20) and went 5-of-6 from the arc in its 36-point period.

"When you see a couple of them go in, you feel good about your release and you feel good about where your at and that's what happened tonight," LaFrentz said. "My shot felt good, same shots that were usually there came into play tonight and I was able to knock them down."

David West scored 19 of his 21 points in the first half to pace the Hornets. J.R. Smith added most of his 16 points when the outcome already had been decided.

"We didn't play with a lot of effort, we came out kind of floating and coasting," West said. "We didn't get to our rotations, LaFrentz hit I think three threes wide open, we were trying to contain Ricky (Davis) some, but he started going and we just couldn't get stops and the game just got away from us."

Hornets rookie Chris Paul was held to eight points on 1-of-7 shooting.

"The defense was good for the most part all night," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I thought early on, Chris Paul, that was the game plan, just try to get the ball out of his hands and make somebody else make plays."

The Celtics held the Hornets to 27 percent (6-of-22) shooting in the third period and 36 percent (27-of-76) overall.

"I tried to urge our guys to come out in the third quarter with some urgency and try to get something going, we came out as flat as we did in the first half," Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "It's just a very bad effort on our part."

We won!!! 91-78!!!!!

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----4
F: Raef LaFrentz----18
F: Paul Pierce----16
G: Ricky Davis----32
G: Delonte West----8

Bench

F: Justin Reed----0
F: Al Jefferson----7
F: Brian Scalabrine----0
G: Tony Allen----4
G: Marcus Banks----2
G: Orien Greene----0

Current Standings

New Jersey: 22-17
Philadelphia: 21-20
Boston: 17-24
Toronto: 14-28
New York: 13-26

Our next game is tonight against the Wshington Wizards.

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight we play the Washington Wizards.

Originally Posted by nba.com

Washington (18-21) at Boston (17-24) 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Gilbert Arenas rescued the Washington Wizards from an embarrassing collapse the last time they faced the Boston Celtics. He looks to deliver another vintage performance Wednesday when the teams meet in Boston.

Arenas scored 31 points to lift the Wizards to a 103-102 victory over the Celtics on January 7. Boston erased a seven-point deficit in the final 30 seconds, but Arenas made two free throws with 3.5 seconds left to secure the victory for Washington.

Despite winning five of eight since that contest, the Wizards hope to rebound from one of their worst offensive performances of the season when they take the court Wednesday.

Antawn Jamison collected 25 points and 10 rebounds Sunday, but Washington dropped a 93-82 decision to the Memphis Grizzlies.

Arenas added 24 points, but the Wizards shot just 39 percent (29-of-74) from the floor and managed a total of just 55 points after the opening quarter.

Washington looks to bounce back Wednesday against a Boston squad which has won three of its last four and is 13-8 at home this season.

The Celtics erupted for 36 points in the third quarter Monday en route to a 91-78 victory over the New Orleans Hornets.

Ricky Davis scored 32 points and Paul Pierce added 16 and nine rebounds for Boston, which limited the Hornets to just 35 percent (27-of-76) shooting.

Probable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef LaFrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Ricky Davis
G: Delonte West



C: Brendan Haywood
F: Antawn Jamison
F: Jared Jefferies
G: Caron Butler
G: Gilbert Arenas[/color]

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night we played the Wizards.

http://www.nba.com/media/celtics/PaulPierc435.jpg

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Jan. 25 (Ticker) -- For the second time in less than three weeks, a late foul call and a pair of free throws by Washington's Gilbert Arenas sank the Boston Celtics.

Arenas scored the last of his 19 points on two free throws with 1.7 seconds remaining as the Wizards edged the Celtics, 89-87.


In its 103-102 home win over Boston on January 7, Washington surrendered a seven-point lead in the final 30 seconds. However, Arenas saved the Wizards from a bad loss when he drew a controversial foul call on Paul Pierce and sank the ensuing free throws with 3.5 ticks to go.

"I just want the players to decide the game," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, who was irate at the call earlier this month and was just as angry Wednesday. "It's a tough one because this game was ours. Despite all the turnovers and the missed free throws, we still should have won this game."

"It's deja vu," Arenas said. "Both games I didn't try to settle for the jump shots. I wanted to get free throws out of it and both games I succeeded. I didn't think he was going to reach for the ball but he pulled my arm and bailed me out."

On Wednesday, the Celtics were the ones with the fourth-quarter lead, holding an 81-74 advantage after a layup by Pierce with 4:11 remaining. But the Wizards rallied behind Antawn Jamison, who scored 16 of his 26 points in the fourth quarter, to take an 85-81 lead.

"I had a rough first half," said Jamison, who combined with Arenas to account for 21 of the team's 29 points in the final period. "I pretty much played the way coach and everybody on this team expects me to play. I didn't rulalalala. I just went with the flow of the offense. I had the shots, I had the opportunities and I just made the best of them."

Pierce, who had 25 points, answered by scoring the next six to give Boston a two-point edge. After Jamison tied it, 87-87, with two free throws with 52 seconds left, Pierce missed two from the line to keep it tied.

A 79 percent foul shooter, Pierce was just 2-of-10 from the stripe in the second half after making all three of his free throws in the first half.

"I think it was just one of those nights," Pierce said. "Mama always said 'you're going to have games like this.' I just have to swallow it, brulalalala off and move on."

The teams traded empty possessions to set up Arenas. He used a stagger dribble to get defender Ricky Davis off balance and drove hard at Kendrick Perkins.

Davis was whistled for reaching in, although it appeared Perkins made more contact, giving Arenas his second opportunity in as many meetings to beat the Celtics.

"I didn't touch him," Davis said. "Watch the replay. It wasn't a foul. It's a desperation shot. I think they should have just let it go and go into overtime."

The Celtics had one last chance to tie, but Pierce's 20-footer from the corner fell short.

With their loss 2 1/2 weeks ago still fresh in their mind, the Celtics came out firing, hitting eight of their first 12 shots and finishing the first quarter with a 29-19 lead.

The next 12 minutes were a completely different story as the Wizards forced six turnovers, held the Celtics to only 10 points on 4-of-19 shooting and entered the half down just two.

"The second quarter was like a defensive clinic for us," Wizards coach Eddie Jordan said. "Holding somebody like the Celtics, who shoot close to 50 percent, holding them down to only 10 points. That kind of jump started us."

An unlucky loss for the Celtics, 89-87.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----8
F: Raef LaFrentz----8
F: Paul Pierce----25
G: Ricky Davis----13
G: Delonte West----10

Bench

C: Mark Blount----11
F: Al Jefferson----3
F: Brian Scalabrine----7
G: Tony Allen----2
G: Orien Greene----0

Current Standings

New Jersey: 22-18
Philadelphia: 21-20
Boston: 17-25
Toronto: 14-29
New York: 13-27

Our next game is on Friday night against the Kings, followed by a concert by the All American Rejects.

[Tealey7]

Loads of players traded for no reason

Originally Posted by celtics.com

BOSTON - The Boston Celtics announced today that they have acquired forward Wally Szczerbiak, center Michael Olowokandi, center Dwayne Jones, and a future first round draft choice from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Marcus Banks, Mark Blount, Ricky Davis, Justin Reed, and two conditional second round draft choices.

Szczerbiak, a one-time All-Star, is averaging a career-high 20.1 points, shooting 49.5 percent from the field and 40.6 percent from beyond the arc, to go with 4.8 boards in 38.9 minutes per game. The 6-7, 235-pound forward, originally drafted 6th overall in the 1999 NBA Draft by Minnesota, has career averages of 15.5 points, shooting 50.1 percent from the field and 40.5 percent from beyond the arc, to go with 4.4 rebounds in 33.6 minutes per game.

Michael Olowokandi, originally drafted 1st overall in the 1998 NBA Draft by the Los Angeles Clippers, is averaging 6.0 points and 5.6 rebounds in 23.5 minutes per game during the 2005-06 campaign. The 7-0, 270-pound center has career averages of 8.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 27.7 minutes per game. His best season came in 2002-03 when he averaged 12.3 points, 9.1 rebounds and 2.2 blocks per game in 38.0 minutes per game for the Clippers. He was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Timberwolves on July 16, 2003.

Dwyane Jones, signed as an undrafted free agent by Minnesota on August 26, 2005, is averaging 9.3 points and 11.3 boards per game for the Florida Flame of the NBDL. The 6-11, 250-pound center ranked 5th in the nation in rebounding (11.6) and blocks (3.0), while averaging 10.1 points per game for St. Joseph's in 2004-05. An early entry candidate for the 2005 NBA Draft, Jones averaged 7.1 points and 8.5 boards per game in three seasons with St. Joseph's.

"We are ecstatic to acquire a player of Wally Szczerbiak's quality to complement Paul Pierce and our young talent base", said Celtics Executive Director of Basketball Operations, Danny Ainge. "In Wally we are receiving an All-Star player who is playoff tested and who has been a winner at all levels. We wish Ricky, Mark, Marcus, and Justin continued success in Minnesota."

Let's get this straight. We're trading off our second highest points scorer Ricky Davis, hopes for the future Marcus Banks and Justin Reed, and Mark Blount for Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi, Dwayne Jones, and a future first round draft choice. That, in my opinion, is ridiculous.

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight we play the Kings.

Originally Posted by nba.com

Sacramento (18-24) at Boston (17-25) 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- Ron Artest will make his debut with the Sacramento Kings on Friday when they visit the Boston Celtics, who also will have a new look after making a seven-player trade Thursday.

The Celtics swapped their second-leading scorer Ricky Davis, center Mark Blount, point guard Marcus Banks, forward Justin Reed and a pair of conditional second-round picks for Minnesota forward Wally Szczerbiak, centers Michael Olowokandi and Dwayne Jones and a future first-round pick.

Szczerbiak ranked second on the Timberwolves with a 20.1 scoring average and immediately will fill Davis' role as Paul Pierce's primary support on offense.

While many of the hometown fans will train their eyes on Boston's new lineup, most of the NBA will be interested in Artest's first game with the Kings and his first outing since December 6.

The enigmatic Artest, who generally is considered the top defensive player in the league, asked for a trade from the Indiana Pacers soon thereafter and was placed on the inactive list while management worked to honor the request.

Rumors swirled for over a month as to where he would wind up and, after reportedly turning down the trade to Sacramento for Peja Stojakovic on Tuesday, Artest accepted it Wednesday.

Playing without either Artest or Stojakovic, the Kings improved to 1-3 on a six-game road trip with Wednesday's 106-102 double-overtime win in New York. Mike Bibby scored eight of his 35 points in overtime.

Boston is 1-1 on a three-game homestand after Wednesday's 89-87 setback to Washington. Pierce scored 25 points and Davis had 13 and six turnovers in his last game with the Celtics.

In the first meeting against the clubs this season, Bibby had 33 points and 10 assists in Sacramento's 116-112 victory over Boston on December 30.

Probable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef Lafrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Tony Allen
G: Delonte West



C: Brad Miller
F: Kenny Thomas
F: Ron Artest
G: Kevin Martin
G: Mike Bibby

[Tealey7]

(previous results:

celtics 84.............kings 74
celtics 79.............bucks 83)

Game Review

Last night we played the TWolves. Let's see what happened.

Originally Posted by nba.com

MINNEAPOLIS, Jan. 30 (Ticker) -- A great day had a bad ending for Wally Szczerbiak.

After witnessing the birth of his daughter and receiving a standing ovation from the fans at the Target Center, Szczerbiak scored 22 points as the Boston Celtics suffered a 110-85 beating at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Szczerbiak, who spent his first six-plus seasons with Minnesota, was traded to Boston on Thursday as part of a seven-player deal that sent guard Ricky Davis to the Timberwolves.

When Szczerbiak and his wife scheduled a birth by Cesarean section for Monday, they did not know he would no longer be playing for Minnesota. However, the schedule had the Celtics visiting the Timberwolves, which made things a bit easier logistically but tougher emotionally.

"It was a real emotional game," Szczerbiak said. "I got fouled and went over to Trenton (Hassell) and Marko (Jaric) to get some dap and then realized, 'Whoa, they don't play for my team.' I've been real out of it for a couple of days. I need to take some time to regroup, and I think the whole team needs that."

Starting for the second straight game, Szczerbiak received a rousing ovation from the 17,003 in attendance. He also got a pregame hug from Timberwolves superstar Kevin Garnett, with whom he did not always have a great relationship.

"(The ovation) felt great. It really did," Szczerbiak said. "I've just had a great time here. Seven years is a long time to to be in one place and play in front of the fans. I've worked my butt off and made some great relationships and I'll never forget those relationships."

Szczerbiak, who missed his first two shots and was called for traveling on his third touch, made 6-of-15 shots and 9-of-9 free throws. He outplayed Davis, who had nine points, five assists and five rebounds. However, the others acquired by Minnesota did plenty of damage.

Guard Marcus Banks had 20 points and six assists, Mark Blount added 16 and 10 rebounds and Justin Reed scored nine points. All three players came off the bench to spark a big second quarter.

"Basically that's our old team out there, and we wanted to beat them really bad," Banks said. "The last time we played was out in Boston and these guys (Celtics) beat us (Wolves). I think it was by two or three or something like that, and we didn't want that to happen here."

"It did seem different, especially playing against your old team and a different crowd," Davis said. "(Energy) was the key to the trade. Just be more athletic and more competitive."

The Wolves began the second quarter with a 15-3 run that was capped by three straight hoops by Blount for a 45-31 lead.

The Celtics closed to 49-40 before Banks drilled a 3-pointer to trigger a 12-2 surge that ended the first half. During the run, Banks had a three-point play and Reed sank four free throws for a 61-42 advantage at intermission - Minnesota's best opening half of the season.

"The other guys on the (Wolves) just fed off their energy. We just didn't come with it," Boston forward Paul Pierce said. "When you get traded, you want to prove that you shouldn't have been traded, but it's the nature of the business. Stuff like that happens. They came out, and Marcus Banks has a career game.

Boston was within 14 points before Minnesota ended the third period with a 9-0 spurt that featured a dunk by Davis and five points from Banks. The Wolves led by at least 20 points thereafter and by as many as 32.

Garnett scored 15 points and Trenton Hassell and Eddie Griffin added 12 apiece for Minnesota, which shot a blistering 57 percent (41-of-72). It had lost four of its last five games.

"I don't like (the trade). I love it," Garnett said. "The fact that we all played with energy, and we haven't even had a real practice. This is my first time stepping on the floor with Marcus. We have a lot of potential, and it's up to not only the coaching staff but ourselves developing that potential. We have a real special thing here, and now it's about developing it and making sure that it stays together and gels."

Pierce scored 21 points but made just 7-of-23 shots for Boston (18-27), which has lost four of six.

The Celtics also acquired center Michael Olowokandi and forward-center Dwayne Jones in the trade. Olowokandi scored two points in three minutes and Jones did not play.

"My teammates came to me and apologized because they knew I wanted this win, but that's OK," Szczerbiak said. "It was not of them to think about me and do that. It's strange (seeing his name on the back of a Celtics jersey and) wearing (No.) 55, but you forget about all of that when you're on the floor. You just play basketball."

So we lost 110-85.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----3
F: Raef LaFrentz----4
F: Paul Pierce----21
G: Wally Szczerbiak----22
G: Delonte West----12

Bench

C: Michael Olokwandi----2
F: Ryan Gomes----3
F: Brian Scalabrine----3
F: Al Jefferson----10
G: Orien Greene----3
G: Tony Allen----2

Current Standings

New Jersey: 22-20
Philadelphia: 23-21
Boston: 18-27
Toronto: 15-30
New York: 14-29

Our next game is on Wednesday against the Phoenix Suns.

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Yes I know I didn't do a preview. Anyway, we played the Suns last night.

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Feb. 2 (Ticker) -- The Phoenix Suns ended their season-high six-game East Coast swing on a good note.

Shawn Marion collected 21 points and 12 rebounds and Raja Bell added 18 points as the Suns posted a 102-94 triumph over the slumping Boston Celtics, who got 40 points from Paul Pierce.


Phoenix never trailed and built a 21-point halftime lead behind a 16-2 second-quarter burst.

After Al Jefferson's three-point play cut Boston's deficit to 31-25 with just under nine minutes left in the half, Leandro Barbosa ignited the burst with a driving layup at the other end and capped it with an assist on Bell's 3-pointer that made it 47-27 with 4:38 remaining.

"I went through a period were I missed some tonight and I was anxious to try to get another one up there because the ball felt good coming out of my hands," said Bell, who made 6-of-15 shots overall.

Bell and Marion combined for 20 points in the first two quarters, helping the Suns build just enough of a cushion to withstand a furious rally in the second half, as Boston closed the gap behind Pierce, who scored 33 after intermission.

Trailing, 57-38, the Celtics opened the second half with a 13-0 run to draw within 59-51 with 8:35 to go in the third period and faced a 75-69 deficit entering the fourth quarter.

"We came in at the half and said we were going to fight regardless," said Pierce, who made 14-of-27 shots from the floor. "We got back in the game but there are no moral victories. We gave ourselves chances, but you can't get down by that many points if you expect to win."

Boston continued its rally in the fourth and drew within 80-78 on Orien Greene's layup with 9:05 left before the Suns answered with a 9-3 spurt over the next 3 1/2 minutes.

"We knew they were going to make a run," said Marion, who shot 9-of-17 overall. "They were at home and they couldn't go out like that. We kept our heads in it, sustained their run and buckled down and got some big baskets when we needed to and some big stops when we needed to."

Pierce's reverse layup with 2:40 remaining made it 98-94, but the Celtics got no closer as Marion made two free throws and Bell connected on a key jumper in the the final seconds to seal the victory.

"Raja has been doing it, he's been playing terrific," Suns coach Mike D'Antoni said. "We mentioned it every game on this road trip. He's shooting about 55 or 60 percent from 3-point range and averaging at least 20 points in the last 10 games. "I don't know what we would do without him. Plus he's a big time defensive stopper, we know that."

Steve Nash had 13 points and eight assists and Kurt Thomas contributed 12 points for the Suns, who shot 45 percent (39-of-85) and wrapped up a 4-2 road trip.

"I thought it was a great win, the end of 10 days away, it is nice to come out and play well at the start of a game," said Nash, who grabbed four rebounds. "But you also realize that there are two halves to a game. We totally lost our rhythm. We lost our enthusiasm in the third and for us to really suck it up was very important for us."

Jefferson had 17 points and seven rebounds off the bench and Kendrick Perkins added 12 for Boston, which shot 46 percent (35-of-76) and committed 19 turnovers en route to its third straight loss.

"Obviously it was a great comeback," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "But when you dig yourself a hole like we did in the first half it's tough to come back when you play a team that shoots the ball the way they shoot the ball."

We lost 102-94 even after Pierce's 40 points.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----6
F: Brian Scalabrine----5
F: Paul Pierce----40
G: Wally Szczcerbiak----5
G: Delonte West----12

Bench

F: Ryan Gomes----0
F: Raef LaFrentz----0
F: Al Jefferson----17
G: Tony Allen----4
G: Orien Greene----5

Current Standings

New Jersey: 23-21
Philadelphia: 23-22
Boston: 18-28
Toronto: 16-30
New York: 14-30

Our next game is tomorrow night against the LA Clippers.

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight we play LA's second team, the LA Clippers. Here's a preview.

Originally Posted by nba.com

LA Clippers (26-17) at Boston (18-2 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) -- The early returns on the Boston Celtics' seven-player swap last week have not been great.

Prior to hitting the road, which has not been kind to them, the Celtics will try to slow down the Los Angeles Clippers when the teams meet Friday.

A day after pulling off a major trade with the Minnesota Timberwolves that brought Wally Szczerbiak to Boston, it posted a win here over the Sacramento Kings last Friday, only to follow that up with three straight losses.

The Celtics fell 10 games below .500 for the first time this season in Wednesday's 102-94 loss to Phoenix. They nearly erased all of a 21-point halftime deficit on the strength of Paul Pierce's phenomenal performance.

Pierce scored 33 of 40 points after halftime, but had little support. Just two other players reached double figures and Szczerbiak was limited to five points on 1-of-9 shooting. He did manage 10 rebounds and six assists.

The Clippers won for the sixth time in seven games and improved to 1-1 on a season-high six-game road trip with Wednesday's 106-94 victory in Orlando. Elton Brand scored 35 points and Sam Cassell added 26, combining to shoot 22-of-40 (55 percent) from the field.

The win pulled Los Angeles within 2 1/2 games of the Suns in the Pacific Division.

The Celtics earned their only win of a 1-4 road trip with a 111-92 victory over the Clippers on December 31. Pierce was one of six Boston players in double figures with 19 points.

Probable Starters



C: Kendrick Perkins
F: Raef LaFrentz
F: Paul Pierce
G: Wally Szczerbiak
G: Delonte West



C: Chris Kaman
F: Elton Brand
F: James Singleton
G: Cuttino Mobley
G: Sam Cassell

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night we played the LA Clippers. Let's see how many we lost by.

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Feb. 3 (Ticker) -- Elton Brand flashed his skills in the paint and Sam Cassell showed his soft touch from the outside.

Brand collected 30 points and 11 rebounds and Cassell contributed 23 and eight assists as the Los Angeles Clippers posted a 98-81 triumph over the Boston Celtics.


The inside and outside work of Brand and Cassell gave Boston fits the entire game. The duo combined to make 21-of-33 shots from the floor and collect three steals and four blocked shots.

"We just take what people give us," said Cassell, who grabbed six rebounds. "We are not going to panic, we are going to try to get a quality shot down the stretch, and that's what we did tonight."

The game was tied at 59-59 with 6 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter when Los Angeles took the lead for good behind an 18-7 surge that closed out the period and gave the Clippers a 77-66 advantage.

Boston responded by opening the final quarter with a 12-2 run to close within 79-78 with 5:30 to play. Former Clippers center Michael Olowokandi scored six points during the burst.

"I think as a basketball player, you always have something to prove. For me, it's just welcoming an opportunity to play basketball," said Olowokandi, who finished with 10 points. "Every team has a design, but I think over here, given the team is young and the team is in the process of some self discovery and team identity, I definitely think there are more opportunities here."

Cassell and Brand took over the game in the final minutes, scoring the next 13 points in helping Los Angeles build a 94-81 edge with just over one minute remaining. Cassell sank three shots from the arc and the Celtics never threatened thereafter.

"We really played hard, we really had to fight for this one," Brand said. "Sam hit some big threes. They gave me the ball so I could hit some shots. We weren't nervous, but they put some pressure on us. We had to pull that one out."

"We played some really good basketball at times, put some big leads on them and we were hoping they would fold and go away," Clippers coach Mike Dunleavy said. "But they just wouldn't. But then ultimately, when it came down to it, we had big plays by Sam. Obviously, he went through his stretch where he banged down those three 3-pointers against their zone."

Cuttino Mobley scored 18 points and Chris Kaman added 14 and 11 rebounds for the Clippers, who shot 54 percent (39-of-72) from the field.

"It's huge for us because we dropped the first one to Miami, we played well and then beat Orlando," Kaman said. "We wanted to get above .500 on this road trip, and this was a big win for us."

Paul Pierce and Wally Szczerbiak scored 18 points apiece for the Celtics, who shot 35 percent (34-of-96) and made just 4-of-20 3-pointers.

"I just don't think we showed the sense of urgency that we needed down the stretch. That's what the good teams do," Pierce said. "We cut the lead to three, and then we gave a wide-open three to Cassell and Brand makes a couple of tough shots, but we have to show a better sense of urgency."

Celtics forward Al Jefferson was forced to leave the game at the 8:27 mark of the second quarter after twisting his ankle on a rebound. X-rays were negative on Jefferson, who finished with two points and six rebounds.

"I don't want to use the word 'severe,' but it's a pretty tough ankle sprain," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "It's not broke, which is great, and in no time soon, we'll be seeing him. Following the All-Star break will be the earliest, from what they're telling us right now."

So Jefferson is injured and we lost 98-81. What a game.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----11
F: Raef LaFrentz----5
F: Paul Pierce----18
G: Wally Szczerbiak----18
G: Delonte West----11

Bench

C: Michael Olowokandi----10
F: Ryan Gomes----0
F: Brian Scalabrine----2
F: Al Jefferson----2
F: Gerald Green----0
G: Tony Allen----4

Current Standings

New Jersey: 23-21
Philadelphia: 23-23
Boston: 18-29
Toronto: 17-30
New York: 14-31

Gerald Green was activated. He played. Al Jefferson got injured. That sucks. Next game is tonight against Orlando Magic.

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night- the Magic.

Originally Posted by nba.com

ORLANDO, Fla., Feb. 4 (Ticker) -- Steve Francis and Dwight Howard helped the Orlando Magic end their drought while keeping the Boston Celtics in the dumps.

Francis and Howard scored 18 points apiece as the Magic halted a four-game losing streak with a 100-91 victory over the struggling Celtics, who have lost five straight contests.


"This was a much-needed win, especially with both of us coming off four-game losing streaks," Magic coach Brian Hill said.

Orlando came out strong, making 13-of-20 (65 percent) shots in the opening quarter for a 31-20 advantage. Former Celtic Tony Battie scored eight of his 14 points in the period and Francis added seven.

"(Francis) has played very under control and at the same time has been aggressive in driving the basketball and creating opportunities," said Hill, whose team won for the eighth time in its last 10 home games.

The Magic built a 39-24 advantage with just under nine minutes left in the second quarter and the Celtics faced a 69-60 deficit with 3 1/2 remaining in the third quarter before closing the session with a 9-2 burst, capped by Brian Scalabrine's 3-pointer at the buzzer.

"We have to figure a way to buckle down early in games, execute, get good shots and now allow teams to run out and get easy buckets," Boston guard Wally Szczerbiak said. "It just takes so much energy to get back into games."

The Celtics ran out of energy as the Magic opened the final period by making 7-of-8 shots in a 15-6 charge, capped by Howard's dunk that made it 86-75 with 6:43 to go.

"We just kept fighting and I was happy with that," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "We had great opportunities but missed a couple of layups and had a defensive miscue (on Howard's dunk). We'd just got done talking about that and that burns you as a coach." Keyon Dooling, who scored six points during the burst and eight of his 10 in the fourth.

"Keyon was awesome," Howard said. "He wants to get to the hole, wants to play good defense, wants to stop his man. It's always good when he's healthy and gets to get in there and give us a spark on both ends of the floor." Francis kiddingly called Dooling a maniac, but quickly added that "he controlled the game at times when we needed it."

Paul Pierce tried to singlehandedly lead Boston back by scoring 15 of his 37 points in the fourth quarter. He scored 14 of the Celtics' last 16 points but could not prevent them from dropping their sixth consecutive road contest.

"It's been the story of our season right now," Rivers said. "It just seems like we're close enough but we can't close games out."

So we lost 100-91.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----7
F: Raef LaFrentz----7
F: Paul Pierce----37
G: Wally Szczerbiak----13
G: Delonte West----13

Bench

C: Michael Olokwandi----0
F: Brain Scalabrine----8
F: Gerald Green----0
G: Tony Allen----2
G: Orien Greene----4

Current Standings

New Jersey: 24-21
Philadelphia: 24-23
Boston: 18-30
Toronto: 17-30
New York: 14-31

Our next game is on Monday night against the Miami Heat.

[Tealey7]

Game Review

On Monday night we played the Heat.

Originally Posted by nba.com

MIAMI, Feb. 6 (Ticker) -- Dwyane Wade put away the Boston Celtics in a "flash."

Wade collected 34 points, eight rebounds and eight assists as the Miami Heat pulled away for their seventh win in nine games, a 114-98 victory over the Celtics, whose season-high losing streak reached six games.


In the first half, Wade accumulated 15 points, five rebounds and five assists as Miami led by as many as 17 and entered intermission with a 55-41 advantage.

"I thought Dwyane was very conscious of driving and kicking the ball in the first half," Heat coach Pat Riley said.

The Celtics fought back in the third quarter, drawing within 77-74 with 1:45 remaining on a pair of free throws by Paul Pierce. Wade answered by closing the period with a personal 6-0 run, hitting all six of his free throws in the final 1:13 to restore order.

"He's Dwyane Wade. He's a good player," Boston coach Doc Rivers said. "He's athletic. He attacks. It's who he is. I thought we did a pretty good job on him up until the end. I thought we were forcing him to take shots from the outside. (The Heat) see the young players on the floor guarding him and they attack them. That is exactly what Wade did and that is what he should do."

Wade, who is nicknamed "Flash" and will be making his first All-Star start later this month, opened the fourth quarter with a driving dunk - one of several slams for the Heat in the period. Former Celtic Antoine Walker added a layup shortly thereafter to cap a 10-0 run that extended the lead to 87-74.

"I took it upon myself to be more aggressive," Wade said. "I wanted the ball. Coach gave me the ball and I just tried to attack (and) make plays, just take it to the rim and see what happens."

Miami's lead morphed into a 102-82 bulge over the next six-plus minutes. Alonzo Mourning and Shaquille O'Neal each had three-point plays during the outburst, which Wade capped with a thunderous one-handed breakaway dunk with five minutes left.

"(Wade's) a natural scorer," Pierce said. "It's tough to stop a natural scorer. Our job is just trying to control the other guys. He's going to get it going."

Wade shot 10-of-17 from the field and 13-of-15 from the foul line en route to his 21st 30-point effort of the season.

"We kept trying to call his number," Riley said. "We had him handle the ball a lot and he was either getting to the line or getting some hoops."

"He's a great young player," said O'Neal, who added 21 points. "You just have to let a guy like that do his thing."

Udonis Haslem chipped in 17 points and Walker added all 12 of his in the fourth quarter for the Heat, who improved to 17-6 at home and have won five of the last six meetings with the Celtics.

"It's a regular game, but you always want to come out on top," said Walker, who played for Boston from 1996-2003 and for 24 games last season. "I got to know some of the young guys (on the Celtics) last year. Obviously, Paul is a good friend of mine, so it's always good to beat your old team."

Pierce scored 31 points but shot just 8-of-21 from the floor. Raef LaFrentz contributed 18 points and newcomer Wally Szczerbiak 16 for Boston, which shot only 41 percent (30-of-73) and was outrebounded, 44-36.

"Right now, I don't think we have anything to hang our hat on," LaFrentz said. "We can't really get stops, the board work comes and goes and offensively, we're not really fluent. We've got a lot of things to improve upon. We hit a lull tonight ... we have lulls every night."

Meanwhile, Pierce is taking the high road.

"We've got to keep our heads up," Pierce added. "We're going to turn this around sooner or later."

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Kendrick Perkins----7
F: Raef LaFrentz----18
F: Paul Pierce----31
G: Wally Szczerbiak----16
G: Delonte West----8

Bench

C: Michael Olokwandi----2
F: Brian Scalabrine----10
F: Ryan Gomes----2
F: Gerald Green----0
G: Orien Greene----2
G: Tony Allen----2

Current Standings

New Jersey: 25-21
Philadelphia: 24-24
Boston: 18-31
Toronto: 17-31
New York: 14-32

Blimey.....Toronto are catching up.....Next game on Friday against the Portland Trailblazers.

[Tealey7]

Stuff

Perkins injured

Originally Posted by celtics.com

Already undermanned after Al Jefferson's ankle injury last weekend against the Clippers, the Celtics were dealt another tough blow when Kendrick Perkins injured his shoulder at the end of practice Wednesday.

The question on everyone's mind: How bad is the injury?

"We don't know. His shoulder may have gone out, we don't know how bad. He's going to go do an x-ray and we'll find out," said Rivers. "Obviously that wouldn't be good news, but we'll wait and see."

Executive Director of Basketball Operations Danny Ainge didn't offer many more details about the severity of Perkins' injury on his weekly WEEI appearance Wednesday afternoon.

"It's not that bad," said Ainge. "We're hoping to get him back after the All-Star Break."

Perkins appeared to injure the shoulder in a collision with Brian Scalabrine just at the end of practice, when TV cameras are allowed in to shoot B-roll footage for their broadcasts.

"My guess is that he'll be back and play Friday but I don't know. You never know how bad those things are. I think it came out [of socket]," said Rivers.

As for Jefferson, Rivers said he doesn't know a timetable on his possible return because he had yet to ask for one. Jefferson watched practice from the sidelines with his ankle heavily wrapped.

"When I saw him on crutches earlier I just assumed the time table isn't good," quipped Rivers.

Pierce keeping chin up despite losing streak

Originally Posted by celtics.com

Their record is a disappointing 1-6 since the blockbuster trade, but the Celtics remain upbeat. So where does that spirit come from?

"The morale always comes from the coach and the best player, I've always said that," said Rivers. "The fact that Paul's been so upbeat, especially since the trade, for whatever reason, he's been great. He was in the locker room after the Miami game, 'keep fighting, guys, keep pumping away, it's going to work, we're not playing ourselves out of it."

Much was made over the off-season of Pierce having to become more of a leader for the Celtics, and he's really stepped up to the plate this year. Pierce has managed to keep the team loose despite some tough stretches of losing and a roster shakeup, no small feat in today's NBA.

He's having his best season, statistics-wise, on the court this year. Pierce is shooting a career-high 47.9% from the field, leading all wing players in rebounds per game, and is the only player in the NBA leading his team in points, rebounds and assists per game. It's not exactly a Carl Yastrzemski Triple Crown, but it's impressive nonetheless. Still, perhaps most importantly in a tough season, Pierce is having his best year in the locker room as well.

"He really is, and I don't think he gets enough credit for it," said Rivers. "He's doing it naturally. When you're a forced leader it's tough to do. Even today in practice, the second unit was really struggling, and before I said something, Paul said something."

As for Pierce, he's just trying to keep his teammates focused on the job at hand.

"We've just got to keep our heads up; we can't get down or lose our confidence. You're going to have your struggles. We had a good day of practice today and we feel like we can turn it around at any second."

Pierce and his mates practiced for over two hours Wednesday. He seemed to be pleased with what he saw on the court, and says he isn't disheartened by a roster that's been somewhat depleted by the trade and a recent rash of injuries.

"That's what happens in the season. You've got to anticipate injuries. Very rarely do you have a team where everybody stays healthy," said Pierce. "When one guy goes down, other guys have to be ready to step up."

Jones recalled from D League team Florida Flame

Originally Posted by celtics.com

BOSTON – The Boston Celtics announced today that the club has recalled Dwayne Jones from the Florida Flame of the NBA Development League (D-League).

Jones, acquired from the Minnesota Timberwolves along with Wally Szczerbiak, Michael Olowokandi and a future first round draft choice, on January 26, 2006, averaged 8.9 points, 11.7 boards (which leads the D-League in both offensive and defensive rebounding) and 2.0 blocks in 30.4 minutes per game in 26 games with the Flame. Jones was assigned to the Flame on November 4, 2005 by the Timberwolves.

The 6-11, 250-pound center ranked 5th in the nation in rebounding (11.6) and blocks (3.0), while averaging 10.1 points per game for Saint Joseph's in 2004-05.

[Tealey7]

Game Preview

Tonight we play the Trailblazers. We've got injury problems. A swell as long term worry Dan Dickau, Al Jefferson and Kendrick Perkins are on the IR as well.

Originally Posted by nba.com

Portland (17-30) at Boston (18-31) 7:30 pm EST

BOSTON (Ticker) - The Boston Celtics may have a chance to snap a season-high six-game losing streak Friday when they host the Portland Trail Blazers, who own the fewest road wins in the Western Conference with five.

The Celtics won their first game after acquiring Wally Szczerbiak in a seven-player trade last month, but since have lost six in a row, their longest slide since a seven-game losing streak February 9-25, 2004.

A team often involved in high-scoring games earlier this season, Boston has failed to reach 100 points in its last 11 games. It came close Monday but had little in the way of defense in a 114-98 loss at Miami.

Paul Pierce, who was named an All-Star on Thursday for the fifth time, led the Celtics with 31 points. Raef LaFrentz added 18 and Szczerbiak 16 for Boston, which never threatened after falling behind by 14 points at halftime.

Just 5-17 on the road, the Trail Blazers are 0-2 thus far on a season high-tying seven-game trek, the latest setback coming in embarrassing fashion. Zach Randolph scored 25 points on 6-of-19 shooting in Portland's 101-69 loss at Indiana on Wednesday.

The Blazers scored just 12 points in the first quarter and never threatened, getting outrebounded, 61-38.

Portland has won five of the last six meetings here.

Probable Starters



C: Raef LaFrentz
F: Ryan Gomes
F: Paul Pierce
G: Wally Sczcerbiak
G: Delonte West



C: Joel Pryzybilla
F: Zach Randolph
F: Viktor Khryapa
G: Juan Dixon
G: Steve Blake

[Tealey7]

Game Review

Last night we played the Portland Trailbazers.

Originally Posted by nba.com

BOSTON, Feb. 10 (Ticker) -- Paul Pierce celebrated his fifth straight All-Star invitation. The Boston Celtics finally celebrated a win.

Pierce scored 20 of his 35 points in the third quarter as the Celtics snapped a season-high six-game losing streak with their most lopsided win of the season - a 115-83 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers.


Named as an All-Star reserve on Thursday, Pierce made 13-of-20 shots, including three 3-pointers, through three quarters before sitting out the fourth.

Wally Szczerbiak, who was acquired by the Celtics two weeks ago, had 21 points and Raef LaFrentz added 18 for the Celtics.

"We moved the ball to our shooters," said Pierce, who entered with a 25.7 scoring average. "Wally got us going and Raef had it going. That opened it up for me when I was driving."

"I've been able to relax and catch my breath and get to know my teammates a little bit," Szczerbiak said. "I've been able to get to know the offense a little bit and get some rest. This was a good feeling win and hopefully we can build on this."

Pierce scored 15 in the first half, including three 3-pointers, as the Celtics built a 52-42 lead.

Boston then started the second half with a 21-8 run to open a 73-50 lead. Szczerbiak ignited the spurt with a 3-pointer from the top of the key and a free throw, LaFrentz converted three 3-pointers and Pierce capped it with a driving dunk with 5:25 left in the quarter.

"Wally and Paul played so well off each other," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "I just thought the ball moved great and our defense was really good with the rotations."

A layup by Delonte West increased the lead to 80-52 with 3:24 remaining.

Pierce scored nine of Boston's last 11 points in the quarter, giving Boston a 91-61 bulge.

"You can't expect to win games when you're giving up that many points after three quarters," Portland guard Steve Blake said.

The Celtics led by as many as 34 points in the fourth quarter.

It was another pitiful road performance by the Trail Blazers, who set a franchise low with 22 rebounds. Boston had failed to reach 100 points in 11 straight games before shooting 55 percent against the Blazers.

"That's embarrassing," said Blazers guard Juan Dixon, who finished with eight points. "People don't care? I care. I'm sure a lot of other of my teammates care. We're just out there getting our tails whipped and it's really embarrassing."

Zach Randolph led Portland with 14 points.

Just 5-18 on the road, the Blazers are 0-3 thus far on a season high-tying seven-game trek. The previous loss was an embarrassing 101-69 setback at Indiana on Wednesday.

"We don't have fire," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "I don't know where our fire has gone. These last two games were basically like a repeat. This is the time for someone to step up out on the court and try to lead."

So it was a crushing win for the Celtics, winning 115-83.

Who got the points?

Starters

C: Raef LaFrentz----18
F: Ryan Gomes----4
F: Paul Pierce----35
G: Wally Szczerbiak----21
G: Delonte West----9

Bench

F: Dwayne Jones----3
F: Gerald Green----4
F: Brian Scalabrine----4
G: Tony Allen----7
G: Orien Greene----10

Current Standings

New Jersey: 26-22
Philadelphia: 24-25
Boston: 19-31
Toronto: 18-32
New York: 14-35

Our next game is tomorrow night against the Orlando Magic. Only a few more wins and we're in the playoff places.....

[Tealey7]

NBA All Star 2006

From 16th - 20th February of this year, it is the start of the NBA All Star programme in Houston. Here is the schedule:

http://www.nba.com/media/allstar2006/as06_index_mainhdr_logo_toyota.jpg

THURSDAY, FEB. 16

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Nokia
George R. Brown Convention Center, 4-10 p.m.

NBA/NWBA Wheelchair Classic
George R. Brown Convention Center, 5-6:30 p.m.
Held at Jam Session, the Wheelchair Classic features two dozen of the most outstanding wheelchair basketball players. WNBA players and NBA Legends will participate as honorary coaches.


FRIDAY, FEB. 17

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Nokia
George R. Brown Convention Center, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

Rookie/Soplalalalare Shootarounds/Practice
George R. Brown Convention Center

McDonald's NBA All-Star Celebrity Game Presented by 2K Sports
George R. Brown Convention Center, 7-9 p.m. ET (ESPN)

T-Mobile Rookie Challenge
Toyota Center, 9-11 p.m. ET (TNT)

SATURDAY, FEB. 18

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Nokia
George R. Brown Convention Center, 9 a.m.-10 p.m.

East All-Stars Practice
George R. Brown Convention Center, Center Court, 11-11:45 a.m.

West All-Stars Practice
George R. Brown Convention Center, Center Court, 12:30-1:15 p.m.

NBA All-Star Saturday Night presented by AOL
Toyota Center, 8-conclusion ET (TNT)

SUNDAY, FEB. 19

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Nokia
George R. Brown Convention Center, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.

The 55th NBA All-Star Game
Toyota Center, 8-11 p.m. ET (TNT)

MONDAY, FEB. 20

NBA All-Star Jam Session presented by Nokia
George R. Brown Convention Center, 9 a.m.-5 p.m.

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Who's in what?

There are going to be many players participating in the 2006 All Star long weekend. Here is my guide to the events and who is participating:

NBA All Star Game

This is the showpiece event in the NBA All Star schedule. The best of the East play the best of the West, with the winners earning bragging rights until next year. Here's the rosters:

The East

Gilbert Arenas (Washington, Guard)
Chauncey Billups (Detroit, Guard)
Chris Bosh (Toronto, Forward)
Vince Carter (New Jersey, Foward)
Richard Hamilton (Detroit, Guard)
Allen Iverson (Philadelphia, Guard) STARTER
LeBron James (Cleveand, Guard) STARTER
Shaquille O'Neal (Miami, Center) STARTER
Paul Pierce (Boston, Forward)
Dwayne Wade (Miami, Guard) STARTER
Ben Wallace (Detroit, Forward)
Rasheed Wallace (Detroit, Forward)

The West

Ray Allen (Seattle, Guard)
Elton Brand (LA Clippers, Forward)
Kobe Bryant (LA Lakers, Guard) STARTER
Tim Duncan (San Antonio, Forward) STARTER
Kevin Garnett (Minnesota, Forward)
Pau Gasol (Memphis, Center)
Shawn Marion (Phoenix, Forward)
Tracy McGrady (Houston, Forward) STARTER
Yao Ming (Houston, Center) STARTER
Steve Nash (Phoenix, Guard)STARTER
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas, Forward)
Tony Parker (San Antonio, Guard)

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Sprite Rising Stars Slam Dunk Competition

The Slam Dunk competition pits four of the best slammers in the NBA against each other. They have 24 seconds to show what they've got. They are given marks out of 10. The competitors are:

Andre Iguodola (Philadelphia)
Nate Robinson (New York)
Josh Smith (Atlanta) DEFENDING CHAMPION
Hakim Warrick (Memphis)

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Foot Locker 3 Point Shootout

The 3 point shootout is on Saturday night. It pits 6 of the best 3 point shooters against each other. The competitors have 60 seconds to drain as many shots as they can from 5 racks of balls, each with five balls in. The regular balls are worth 1 point, and the 'Money Ball' is worth 2 points at the end of each rack. The participants are:

Ray Allen (Seattle)
Raja Bell (Phoenix)
Chauncey Billups (Detroit)
Dirk Nowitzki (Dallas)
Quentin Richardson (New York) DEFENDING CHAMPION
Jason Terry (Dallas)

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T Mobile Rookie Challenge

In this game, the best rookies from this season go up against the best players who are in their first year as a pro. The rosters are:

Rookies

Andrew Bogut (Milwaukee, Forward)
Luther Head (Houston, Guard)
Channing Frye (New York, Forward)
Danny Granger (Indiana, Forward)
Sarunas Jasikevicius (Indiana, Guard)
Chris Paul (New Orleans, Guard)
Nate Robinson (New York, Guard)
Charlie Villanueva (Toronto, Forward)
Deron Williams (Utah, Guard)

Soplalalalares

Luoal Deng (Chicago, Guard/Forward)
T.J Ford (Milwaukee, Guard)
Ben Gordon (Chicago, Guard)
Devin Harris (Dallas, Guard)
Dwight Howard (Orlando, Centre/Forward)
Andre Iguodala (Philadelphia, Forward)
Nenad Krstic (New Jersey, Centre)
Jameer Nelson (Orlando, Guard) INJURED- REPLACED 12TH FEBRUARY
Andres Nocioni (Chicago, Forward)
Delonte West (Boston, Guard) INJURY REPLACEMENT FOR JAMEER NELSON 12TH FEBRUARY

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Playstation Skills Challenge

The Skills Challenge pits four of the best dribblers against one another. They have to negotiate an obstacle course and shoot into a net that looks like something out of Quidditch. The players involved are:

LeBron James (Cleveland)
Steve Nash (Phoenix) DEFENDING CHAMPION
Chris Paul (New Orleans)
Dwayne Wade (Miami)

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Radioshack Shooting Stars

Four teams, comprising a current NBA player, a current WNBA player and an NBA legend are supposed to do something that I can't figure out. Phoenix have released their roster, comprising:

Shawn Marion (NBA)
Diana Taurasi (WNBA)
Dan Majerle (NBA legend)

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That's all for my update on the All Star tournament. Ta ta for now.