Nuggets Mine Gold Against Celtics For 97-90 Win

I'm going to spare Commissioner David Stern and the NBA the trouble of trying to wrangle a couple of marquee teams (read: Miami, Oklahoma City) into the Finals.

Here's my suggestion: just have the Celtics and Nuggets play a seven-game series and crown the winner. It will be an entertaining, high-octane affair that basketball purists everywhere can enjoy.

Seriously, though...it was another good one between the Boston Celtics and Denver Nuggets with only the final outcome providing the dark cloud to this otherwise sunny display.

Yes, the Celtics dropped the game this time (last time, the two teams combined  for 232 points in a triple-overtime barn-burner with the Celtics putting the hammer down at the end for the win), but it was an entertaining loss (if a Celtic fan can actually say that with a straight face).

So, here's what I'm gonna say, and then I'm throwing it to the box score...

All this ludicrous talk about trading Bass and Green or Pierce for Josh Smith...trading Garnett for Bledsoe and Butler or Bledsoe and Jordan...just look at the box score, people. There is NOTHING that those folks are going to do for this team this year and with a couple of them, there may be nothing that they ultimately do for this team to win a championship later, either. Yes, a team with Rondo, Jordan, Bledsoe, Bradley, Sullinger, Smith, Terry, Lee, Barbosa, Melo (and whomever would be left from whatever trade would happen) sounds promising on paper. But, before we go crowning paper champions, let's just think about the team that was highly predicted by many to play for the Championship this year ON PAPER: the Los Angeles Lakers.

So, how did our trade bait do tonight?

Garnett: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and 2 steals.

Pierce: 10 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists.

Green: 20 points with 2-4 shooting on threes and 2 blocks.

Bass: 6 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 steal.

And, what the Hell...since they've also been mentioned...

Bradley: 17 points and Lee: 15 points.

Smith? Bledsoe? Jordan? In the words of Tommy Heinsohn himself: "Gimmie a break!!!"

Box Score

Tale Of The Tape

C's Put On Defensive Act, Give Bulls The Hook: 71-69

 

Jason Terry gets the defensive stop to seal the win? How's THAT for role reversal?

Down 2 with less than 6 seconds left, Marco Belinelli snagged his teammate's errant free-throw and attempted to once again crush the spirits of Celtics Nation by making a last second game-winner. It was then that Terry, giving it his best Avery Bradley, stepped up and swatted Marco's shot, closing the door on any repeat celebration by the men in the Valentine's Day-colored jerseys. Defensive stopper Bradley, meanwhile, put up 10 points.

Helping to break the Bulls' hopeful hearts was Brandon Bass, who shed this year's image as the team's underachiever and played leading man as the game's high scorer with 14 points while adding 9 rebounds 2 assists and a block to this lowdown, dirty game.

Getting into the act was Captain Paul Pierce, who all but slipped on a spare #20 jersey as he paid homage to former Celtic Ray Allen, shooting 2-12 for the game, only to stick it to the Bulls down the stretch with a timely shot from Threeland to go along with 8 points, 6 rebounds, 6 assists and a steal.

Having none of this experimental theater, master thespian Kevin Garnett stayed in character with 12 points on 6-12 shooting (which included a key basket with 19 seconds to go), 11 rebounds, 3 assists and a steal. And, despite his defensive turn, Terry also added 12 points, proving his versatility and ability to master two roles simultaneously.  

With this win, the Celtics evened the season series between the two ballclubs and enter the All-Star Break four games over .500 with a 28-24 record and the 7th spot in the Eastern Conference Playoff picture.

The C's will try and pick up where they left off with a rematch against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, February 19th at 9:00 p.m.

Tale Of The Tape

Box Score