January 24, 2012 - 1:45am
Just a quickentry.
They say youlive long enough, you’ll see everything. You call enough NBA games, I suppose the same holds true.
The Celtics entered Monday night's game with Orlando having lost 6-of-8, a middle-of-the-pack NBA rank of 12 in field-goal defense with a third of their roster, including two starters out.
How stacked wasthe deck for Orlando Monday night?
The Celtics werewithout their floor leader Rajon Rondo, responsible for nearly forty percent ofthe Celtics offense. Without Ray Allen, second in the NBA as 56% from behindthe three-point line. And without Mickael Pietrus and Keyon Dooling, the onlyother candidates to stretch the defense, welcomed the 11-4 Orlando Magic toBoston.
The absentCeltics had scored 40% of Boston’s points through the first 15 games.
The Magic were rested,having blown out the Lakers Friday night, while the shorthanded Celtics were onthe second night of a back-to-back, a circumstance in which they’d lost 10 of theirlast 13.
Now, you knowhow the NBA works, games that look like mismatches on paper, often end upcoming down to the final possession.
This one, didnot.
For two and halfhours later, we had this.
OPPONENTLOW SCORING – CELTICS HISTORY*
56 - VS. MILWAUKEE – MARCH 13,2011
* Shot Clock Era
Really? Yes, really.
With 56 points,24.6% from the floor and 16 made field goals, it was the worst offensive night in the 23-year, 1,788-game history of theOrlando Magic. They hit their previous low 57against the human-rain delay that was the 1997 Cavs coached by Mike Fratello.
It was the sixth time in the shot-clock era theCeltics have held a team under 60 points, four of those six have comein the New Big 3 Era. One, was in 1955.The other in 2003 against a Denver team that featured Vincent Yarbrough, JuniorHarrington and Donell Harvey…in the starting lineup. And off the bench John Crotty, Mark Blountand the legendary Nikoloz Tskitishvili.
Keyon Doolingmissed the game Monday night, but he’s already seen this show. He was on the Bucks team against whom the Celticsset the franchise record ten months ago.
A record the Celtics wereabout to set on November 30, 2007, in a memorableearly-in-the-championship season TNT game with the Knicks. But another future-Celtic, Nate Robinson hit a buzzer-beating threefrom just across half-court, that kept the Knicks out of the record book in a 104-59Boston win.
It was also thefourth time in the New Big Three Era the Celtics held an opponent under 30%from the floor…
OPPONENT LOW FIELD GOAL PERCENTAGE – SINCE 2001
.246 - VS. ORLANDO – JANUARY 23, 2012
It was anhistoric night for the Celtics at the Garden, as and Billy Cundiff will tellyou, a bad weekend for field goals in New England.
