After loafing around for the better part of three and a half quarters, the Celtics finally played as if it were an actual game, rather than an open practice for 18,000 plus fans. In a game that featured Kevin Love's quest to impersonate Bill Russell by dominating the glass, the C's needed all 48 minutes to squeak out a win against one of the worst road teams in the NBA.
Nonetheless, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen hit some clutch three pointers late in the game, while Rajon Rondo lofted in his trademark floater as well as his non-trademark jump shot to key the late rally on offense. Von Wafer was the big time energy player off the bench for the Celtics on both ends of the floor while Ray Ray sealed the win by blocking Luke Ridnour's final lay-up attempt. Ridnour was called for traveling regardless and the Celtics stole a victory that last year's team would have easily lost. Check out the GreenLights below for some inspiring play by Wafer, along with the clutch moments at the end.
Q1: The game's intro is a fantastic one as we see Shaquille O'Neal literally carrying Rondo to his locker to protect that sprained ankle. Other highlights include:
- C's winning the tip, and Pierce finding Ray for an opening three
- Shaq's size forcing Darko Milicic to airball a jump hook
- Big Baby with the turn-around jumper in the post over Kevin Love
- Shaq and Big Baby forcing Love to travel
- Rondo finding Ray for a left-wing three
- Michael Beasley knocking down a jumper, followed by Tommy Heinsohn's "sneering" commentary
- Rondo, Big Baby and Ray all keeping a possession alive
- Pierce backing down Martell Webster, drawing the foul…He made 1 of 2 free throws
- Big Baby and Shaq forcing another traveling violation on Love
- Rondo to Big Baby for a straight-away jumper
- Rondo to Marquis Daniels for the baseline jumper
- Another jumper from Big Baby, this time from the left wing
- Rondo to Ray for another left-wing jumper
- Jermaine O'Neal with a nice offensive rebound
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FhbobUyifEw&w=445&h=275]
Q2: The second quarter begins with a nice night shot of the financial district in Boston, followed by a nice defensive set to open the quarter. Luke Harangody gets the steal off the lazy pass from Webster. Other highlights include:
- JO with some nice post defense on Beasley
- Wafer finding JO for the right-baseline jumper
- Quis drawing the charge on Beasley
- Wafer with the quick crossover move on Corey Brewer, drawing the foul and getting to the line… He would make 1 of 2 free throws
- JO with the strong baseline drive on Love for two and a foul… JO would make the free throw with some hilarious "lane violation" commentary from Mike Gorman
- JO with the block on Johnny Flynn
- The JO/Nikola Pekovic mini-skirmish… JO earned a technical foul here
- Wafer with the aggressive rebound on the missed Love jumper
- Harangody with the nice box out on Pekovic
- Big Baby with some solid post defense on Milicic, followed by another Wafer rebound
- Wafer with the steal then takes it all the way for a lay-up and 1… He made the free throw
- Big Baby with another spinning fall-away baseline jumper over Love
- Solid defense leading to a delayed Rondo to Shaq alley-oop, and the foul… Shaq made the free throw
- Big Baby with the mini-jumper deep in the lane
- Solid defensive set, forcing a bad miss by Kosta Koufos… Wafer with the rebound
- Rondo with the lob pass to Shaq for two
- Rondo to Shaq for the loud alley-oop dunk
- Rondo feeding Pierce from the high post, then Pierce with the beautiful spin move for the lay-in
- Harangody with the rebound off the Webster missed jumper
- Pierce in the right spot off the Rondo missed jumper, makes his own free throw range jumper
- Pierce with the baseball outlet pass off the made lay-up to Rondo who bounces it to Ray for two
- Love takes down Harangody, who gets called for the foul
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9psJODteE3c&w=445&h=275]
Q3: The second half begins with Rondo finding Ray in the left corner for three. Other highlights include:
- Rondo with the bounce pass out of the low post to Big Baby for the jumper, Big Baby discusses the play with Love on the way back
- Rondo with two consecutive strong rebounds
- Rondo working from the low post again, finding Pierce who up-fakes the three, then drives to the hoop for the foul… Pierce made both free throws
- Rondo working from the high post this time, finding a cutting Ray with a bullet bounce pass for the lay-in
- Rondo forcing a turnover at the behest of the JumboTron "Noise Meter"
- Rondo blowing by Ridnour for the lay-up
- Rondo finding Pierce for the right-wing jumper
- Pierce with a free throw line jumper over Ridnour
- Rondo to Pierce for another jumper
- Solid team defense forcing the Love miss in the lane
- Pierce taking it to the basket again, drawing the foul on Pekovic… Pierce made both free throws
- Pierce with the hustle tip-in on the offensive glass
- JO with another block, this time on Pekovic
- Wafer following his own miss, then laying it in
- Wafer with the aggressive rebound off the Webster missed three, then hustles up the court, streaking for the lay-up off the nice touch feed from Pierce
- Pierce with the pull-up jumper in the lane
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Lmt5ThdiZ8&w=445&h=275]
Q4: The final quarter begins with the Celtics forcing a rare 5 second inbounds violation on the Wolves. Other highlights include:
- Big Baby backing down Love for the lay-up and the foul on Milicic… This was Barkley-esque… He does a little jig then makes the free throw
- Big Baby spinning away from Love and finding Wafer for the jumper
- Quis taking it to the hoop drawing the foul on Milicic… He would make both free throws
- Nate blocking a Ridnour drive
- Solid 24 seconds of defense, forcing a bad, deep Webster three from the corner that hits the top of the backboard
- Rondo finding Ray for the corner three
- JO with the hack (no call) on Pekovic (Tommy even admits it)
- Good defense by Harangody, then gets the rebound
- Ray forcing a bad shot by Brewer
- Rondo kicking it out to Pierce for three
- Beasley with the tough jumper
- Pierce drawing the entire Wolves defense into the paint, then kicking to Ray for the wide open corner three
- Rondo with the lucky bounce pass to Shaq who lays it in for the lead
- Beasley re-takes the lead on another tough shot
- Rondo with the floater in the lane off the '2-3 Arc Play'
- Ray with the long outlet to Big Baby who gets fouled and makes both free throws
- Beasley again with the jumper
- Rondo again running the '2-3 Arc Play' this time nailing a jump shot
- Beasley, yet again with the jumper
- Rondo missing the jumper and Love had a nice outlet pass but Minnesota called timeout before he could fire it
- Sugar Ray saves the day with the block on Ridnour (even though he was called for traveling)
- Nate Robinson making two clutch free throws
- Pierce smartly fouling Beasley since they had one to waste
- Beasley's bomb gets nothing but backboard, C's escape with a win
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlpBztVY0X4&w=445&h=275]
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