The C's came up big last night, beating the Orlando Magic 109-106, showing they have what it takes to be the most dominant team in the NBA. If you read every possible summary of the game (probably because they're all usually ripped off of the same, poor AP writer), you'd have to believe that Kevin Garnett was the reason for the pleasin'. KG returned from injury, after taking what seemed to be way too much time off, and rejoined the squad with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 assists. Rejoice! All us rational Celtic fans have a question, though. How is it that KG is the reason we won, when he didn't lead the team in a points or assists, and he only pulled down 8 boards?
Don't get me wrong, it was great to have him back. A power forward so good, his name has been tossed around in multiple "top center" debates, the Big Ticket (and I'm not talking about Kevin Gregg) has a huge impact in every basketball game he's a part of. But, c'mon. Is a 19-8-2 night really why we beat the Magic...by three? On the three point line, Orlando shot 41%. We shot 30%. Orlando had 34 rebounds, 13 on offense. We had 30 and 6. The Magic committed just 21 personal fouls. 26 for us. So, how (and because of who) did we win this game?
1. Free throws- We may have fouled more than they did, but we made our charity shots count for more. The Green Army shot 85% from the stripe, while the Magic shot just 75%. Despite having 10 more shots, the Magic only made 5 more baskets from the free throw line.
2. Overall shooting- We had a hell of a shooting game. 60% from the field, while holding the magic to 46%. That makes a huge difference. They took 4 more shots, and we scored 16 more points (from the field). That really helps out, when you're getting outplayed in the areas mentioned above.
3. Ray Allen- If you are going to pick one guy who made all the difference, you have to go with the very un-sexy pick of Ray Ray. 26 points, 5 rebound, and 2 assists. 8 for 11 from the field, 3 for 4 from beyond the arc, and a perfect 7 for 7 on the free throw line. That's an 82% overall shooting percentage. Are you kidding me? In his 39 minutes, he also committed just 1 foul, and evened out on his takeaway/giveaway (1 steal, 1 turnover). Talk about efficiency. Talk about domination. Talk about the best player on the team last night.
Ray Allen deserves more respect.
At 31-9, the C's lead Heat-talica by 2 full games in the East, and lead the Clippers by 16 games in the chase for the LSF Cup. Detroit comes to Bean Town on Wednesday, as we seek win 32.
-- Sent from my Palm Prē
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