Horror Night in Boston

It was a night of horror in Beantown when the Boston Celtics hosted the visiting Cleveland Cavaliers for the opening game of their series. Celtics won 76-72 after LeBron James was held down to 12 points on 2-18 shooting and made 10 errors in 39 minutes of action. James also had 9 rebounds and 9 assists.

The Celtics also had their share of dry spell. Paul Pierce made only 4 points on 2-14 shooting and Ray Allen went scoreless (0-4) in 37 minutes of action. But the Boston squad was fortunate to have Kevin Garnett in their team. Garnett, who finished third in MVP voting, stepped up and tallied 28 points and 8 rebounds. The starting and back-up point guards of the Celtics also did their part in trying to offset the offensive woes of their team. Rajon Rondo finished with 15 points and Sam Cassell added 13.

The Cavs were clearly in deep trouble with James unable to find his touch. Zydrunas Ilgauskas played with big effort and finished with 22 points, 12 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals and 2 blocks, but got little help from the rest of team. Wally Szczerbiak missed his first five shots and just managed to make 13 points. Delonte West and Ben Wallace chipped in only 4 points each.

* I thought this game was going to be intense with LeBron James going against Kevin Garnett. The Cavs would be doing everything they can to defend their Eastern Conference Title against the hungry Celtics, but as it turned out, the game was just okay (actually, almost boring). The shots just would not go in for both teams.

I hope to see more intensity, excitement and passion as LeBron and Co. defend their Eastern Conference crown. LeBron James as well as Ray Allen and Paul Pierce will surely be looking to bounce back after their horrible performances so I expect the series to pick up intensity as the series goes on.

-fouledout

Celtics Soar Above Hawks in Game 2

Defensive Player of the Year Kevin Garnett scored 19 points and grabbed 10 boards to lead the Boston Celtics to a 96-77 win over the Atlanta Hawks. Ray Allen finished with 15 points and Paul Pierce contributed 14 points after getting knocked down in the first period.

Rajon Rondo outplayed Hawks‘ Mike Bibby and had another stellar game. Rondo’s stats were across the boards as he finished with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 8 assists and 4 steals in 34 minutes of action. Bibby, who called the loyal Celtics supporters bandwagon fans, only had 12 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist.

Bibby was hounded the entire game by the Celtics fans. He was heavily booed every time he touched the ball and non-stop chants of “Rondo’s Better” can be heard throughout the arena. Even when Bibby sat on the bench in the fourth period, the Celtics fans continued to jeer him with “Where is Bibby?” chants.

Josh Smith and Marvin Williams led the Hawks with 13 points apiece. Joe Johnson only had 11 points and had 5 turnovers. Rookie guard Acie Law, who was perfect from the field (4-4) and charity stripe (4-4), chipped in 12 points but committed 4 errors.

The Boston squad turned up their defense for the game. The Celtics forced 21 turnovers, had 15 steals and 3 blocks.

The Celtics will head to Atlanta on the 26^th where the Hawks will play a crucial two-game homestand.

-fouledout

KG Wins the Defensive Player Award

Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett is the recipient of Defensive Player Award this year. Garnett averaged team-high 9.2 rebounds to go along with 1.4 blocks and 1.2 steals in his first season with the Celtics. He is second in the team in scoring with his 18.8 point average.

The 6-11 forward is a major factor in the success story of Boston. Garnett helped the the Celtics to achieve the league-best 66-16 regular season record. Celtics won only 24 games the previous season.

Garnett received 493 points from a panel of 124 sports writers and broadcasters in the US and Canada. Marcus Camby of the Denver Nuggets came in second and Shane Battier of Houston Rockets finished third.

“Any award you’re able to acquire in this league is a big deal. At the end of the day, it’s about winning.” Garnett said after winning the NBA Defensive Player Award.

A 12 year NBA veteran, Garnett has yet to capture his first NBA title and he just might get one this season with the Celtics. Boston leads the series 1-0 against the Atlanta Hawks in the first round of playoffs.

Personally, I would have chosen Camby to win the award. But Kevin Garnett is not a bad choice for this award. He truly deserves this one for being the major catalyst in Boston. Josh Smith of the Hawks also deserves some credit for his tremendous defensive effort this season.

Oh, and before I forget, being a dirty player is different from being a defensive specialist, so people please stop throwing in Bruce Bowen’s name.

-fouledout