AP Photo/Alex Brandon
This one looked like another C's blowout early in the game as they built up a 15 point first quarter lead. But the Wizards won every quarter after that, and ultimately the game 85-83.
The C's dropped 35 points in the first quarter… but 27 points in the entire second half. The Celtics missed 16 shots in the 4th quarter. They made 5. And of the 16 shots they missed, a lot of them were shots the C's typically make. Ray Allen missed a dunk and a couple of WIDE open 3's. Paul Pierce (who was in foul trouble all night) had an upfake-contact-shot play (the exact one that beat the Magic) that was not called a foul for some ungodly reason. So nothing was happening at all on the offensive end for the C's. They shot 68% after the 1st quarter, but finished shooting 43% for the game.
The Wizards, meanwhile, looked confused out there too. The second half of this game was about as unwatchable as basketball gets. The Wizards had 7 chances to take a lead in the 4th quarter and only did so on an end-of-the-shot-clock banked-in three by John Wall… who later had the audacity to toss gang signs (or something) to the crowd. Tommy dropped a gem afterwards saying "if he played that to bank it in, I'll give him $1,000."
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