By now, you've probably read all of the headlines with accompanying paragraphs that detailed the wire-to-wire record setting defensive shellacking that the Celtics issued the Bucks. There's no need here to re-hash the details other than to show you some of the GreenLighted clips from last night's game.
One of the biggest keys ot this game was that no starters played over 30 minutes for the Celtics, ensuring that they will be well-rested for tonight's back-to-back matchup against the New Jersey Nets. Troy Murphy had a breakout game for the C's, and Paul Pierce had a handful of highlights on both ends of the floor before going into Gino mode in the fourth.
Q1: The game begins with Nenad Krstic continuing his assault on the boards, grabbing an offensive rebound off a Kevin Garnett miss, then getting fouled and making one of two free throws. Other highlights include:
- A perfect initial defenseive set, highlighted by a Ray Allen steal to cap it off
- More good defense and rebounding by Krstic
- KG knocking down a turn-around jumper in the paint
- Ray driving to the hoop and laying it in over Andrew Bogut to beat the shot clock
- More good defense, and another steal by Ray
- Krstic with another offensive board
- Ray drilling a three from the baseline
- More good defense, forcing a 24 second shot-clock violation
- Krstic with yet another board, getting the fast break going eventually to Pierce who gets fouled and makes both free throws
- Another great defensive set, forcing John Salmons to toss it out of bounds
- Carlos Arroyo driving baseline, and dishing to Krstic for the lay-in
- Ray, KG and Pierce kncoking down jumpers from the right wing
- Pierce with the good low-post defense, first blocking Chris Douglas-Roberts, then bothering another lay-up attempt by Milwaukee
- Pierce driving to the hoop, getting fouled and making 1 of 2 free throws
Q2: The second quarter scoring gets started with a nice looking Jeff Green up-fake, lateral step jumper. Other highlights include:
- Murphy blocking Earl Boykins' jumper
- Green working Corey Maggette baseline for the jump-hook
- Green running the floor, getting a full court pass from Rondo, gets fouled and makes 1 of 2 free throws
- Krstic knocking down the deep straight-away jumper
- Krstic defending the basket on a fast break, KG and Green combining for the rebound that's out-letted to Rondo who fakes a pass, then lays it in
- Tommy Points all around on defense, leading to Krstic finishing up a botched Rondo/Green alley-oop
- KG getting a hand up on defense, starting a break the ends with Ray floating in for two
- Ray causing a back-court violation
- Krstic drilling another deep jumper, this time from the right wing
- Great team defense, punctuated by a Pierce weak-side block
- Pierce getting a hand up, creating a fast break in which KG eventually scores on a tip-in
- Pierce with the turn-around jumper over Carlos Delfino
Q3: The second half begins similarly as the first did, with good defense and a Ray Allen steal. Other highlights include:
- Ray driving baseline and finding a cutting Krstic for the lay-in
- Pierce taking Delfino baseline and jamming it
- Rondo getting in the passing lane for the steal
- More good defense, with Rondo getting a "gamble-from-behind-steal"
- KG with the baseline jumper
- Pierce going coast-to-coast for the and 1, hitting the runner and the free throw for the old-fashioned 3-point play
- Krstic returning the favor to a cutting Ray, spotting him for two and a foul… Ray makes the free throw
- More solid team defense, with Ray forcing a bad miss from Keyon Dooling
- Rondo sneaking in for the offensive rebound off a Krstic missed jumper
- Arroyo finding Ray for three off the basic Floppy set
- Three straight good defensive sets: forcing a missed floater by Boykins, a carry by Boykins, and another miss by Boykins… Pierce gets fouled on a rebound and makes both free throws
- Arroyo hitting the deep jumper from the right wing
Q4: The final stanza of this record breaking game begins with a Glen Davis jumper from the left wing. Other highlights include:
- Good defense forcing another miss at the rim for Milwaukee
- Murphy tipping in Sasha Pavlovic's missed lay-up, beating the 24 second shot clock
- Big Baby with the nice baseline hand-off to Green who gets fouled and makes both free throws
- Davis and Arroyo combining for a nice steal
- Arroyo and Davis working the pick-and-pop for a Big Baby deep right wing jumper
- Pavlovic and Murphy doing a fine job forcing Dooling to the baseline, with Murphy cutting off any angle and getting the steal
- Davis getting fouled on the break, then making both free throws
- Davis taking Jon Brockman to the hoop, scoring the basket, getting fouled and making the free throw
- Team defense collapsing the lane, forcing a miss by Douglas-Roberts
- Murphy knocking down the deep straight away jumper
- Another solid defensive effort, Murphy corralling the rebound
- Green knocking down the straight-away jumper
- Murphy with the put back off Green's missed runner
- KG enjoying Gino time
- Murphy stealing the cross-court pass, getting a clear path foul and making 1 of 2 free throws
- Murphy stepping into, and making a left-wing jumper
- Murphy with the up-and-under lay-up, foul, and makes the free throw
- Green's circus shot
- Dooling missing two free throws, solidifying the Celtics' all-time defensive effort, holding Milwaukee to just 56 total points
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
