Ray breaks 3-point record, but Celtics fall to Lakers, 92-86
The new, NBA career three-point record holder, Mr. Ray Allen.
Jay is covering a scintillating Springfield Armor game tonight, so I have the honor of writing a quick game recap while at work. Surely, Jay will have much more analysis to come Friday morning
It was too good to be true. Rajon Rondo passed to a trailing Ray Allen on the fast break, and Allen sunk the 2,561st of his NBA career, breaking the record long held by Reggie Miller and putting the Celtics ahead by eight with 1:47 to go in the first quarter.
The fans at the TD Garden gave Allen two standing ovations–one when he made the three, and another at the end of the quarter. Allen shared a hug with Reggie Miller, his mother, and his wife during a prolonged celebration.
Boston rode the emotion of the moment to a 15-point lead with 3:31 left in the first half. Los Angeles closed the gap to eight points by halftime, but the Celtics played a good first half and Kobe Bryant had scored just three points.
Naturally, the Celtics came out flat to start the second half, Bryant busted out for 12 third-quarter points, and the Lakers outscored the Celtics 27-15 in the third quarter.
The Lakers sagged off Rondo like they always do, and the Celtics struggled to find offense once again. The game was eerily similar to Game 7: Boston jumped out to an early lead before stagnant offense, poor rebounding, and fatigue caught up with them.
Los Angeles exposed Boston’s thin frontcourt, outrebounding the Celtics 47-36. Lamar Odom was especially annoying on the offensive boards, pulling down 6 by himself. Pao Gasol played well also, scoring 20 points and snagging 10 rebounds. Andrew Bynum enjoyed the absence of Shaquille O’Neal and Semih Erden as well, posting 16 points and nine rebounds.
All five Celtics startes scored in double-figures, but Kendrick Perkins (4-6) was the only one to shoot above 50%. Allen led the team with 20 points, while Rondo netted another double-double (12 points, 10 assists).
Nate Robinson injured his knee in the second quarter and did not return to the game. With Robinson out, along with all the other injuries, Boston relied on a seven-man rotation in the second half and the Celtics wore down late in the game.
Much more to come tomorrow, so be sure to check back!
Related posts:
Celtics Blog | Tommy King | February 10, 2011
I still can’t believe that one can play in the MBA and not be able to consistently hit a 15 ft jump shot with confidence. Every single offense problem for the C’s defense stemmed from Kobe Bryant being able to sag off of rondo. Rondo needs to either hit the open J or drive to re basket.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Plus jay how come doc never ever puts pierce on Kobe explain becaue I don’t understand. Why not slide Paul over to lobe (who he is excellent at defending) and pit wafer on artest(arrest has shown genus absolute zero liability on offense and Kobe Bryant eats Von wafer alive) explain.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Sure enough, beat on the boards (-11) and the Celtics lose again. How the bench could only muster 2 rebs through 3 qtrs and only 6 for the game is beyond me. Then you add in PP (40 mins – 4 rebs) and RA (35 mins – 1 reb) and you get 75 minutes of play and 5 rebs or 1 EVERY 15 minutes of play. As Riley used to say “no rebounds, no rings”. And it doesn’t matter that there are injuries. PP, RA, GD, VW (20 mins – 0 rebs) are not injured. Maybe they’ll figure this out before it’s too late and they lose the Eastern Conf. home court advantage for good. Go Cs…and hit the f’in boards!!!
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
I agree with the comments about the guys on the court needing to rebound; however, let’s be honest: they need their big men back and being productive, namely Shaq and Jermaine to help Perkins. Will Jermaine be there for the playoffs? Unlikely. How many productive minutes can Shaq give without being in foul trouble or injured? Big Baby needs to step it up inside as well, instead of settling on that 15-20 foot jump shot that wasn’t going in tonight. We’d be better off with Harangody in the game if that’s all he wants to bring.
The C’s proved in LA last week that they can hang with the Lakers on rebounding. But can they do so consistently?
When Rondo struggles, so do the Celtics offensively. With as many scorers as they have, they don’t have that go-to guy down the stretch, someone who can carry them as Kobe does for the Lakers (he took over in the final minutes).
Aside from all the injuries, this team has major problems. I hope they can put it together in time for the playoffs.
They took their foot off the gas tonight once they had that 15 point lead. After game 7 of last year, I was hoping they would show more killer instinct, a need to get that monkey off their back. Two wins against the Lakers this year would have spoke volumes.
Right now, I honestly don’t believe they could get past Chicago in the playoffs. Maybe Miami (we’ll see on Sunday). I hope I’m wrong.
Go C’s.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Rondo struggles when the team isn’t moving on offense. But unfortunately, that lack of aggressiveness on offense often seems to start with him. I wasn’t happy to see that he had no turnovers last night. Sure, maybe that sounds counterintuitive, but when Rondo plays aggressive basketball (and I don’t mean just scoring – I mean in terms of how he runs the offense, how he brings the ball up, choosing when to pressure and when not to, how he challenges the paint, etc.), he invariably has turnovers.
Obviously, this loss was a lot about injuries, but on the other hand, that’s been the excuse all season long and longer. It’s time to stop making excuses. It’s increasingly obvious that the Big Three are not able to carry the load the way they once were, while Rondo is not picking it up the way we need him to. So let’s take the embarrassing beating the Heat are about to unload on us, and then lets move forward by playing the bench a lot more the rest of the way, We’ll lose games, but the future is the younger players and we’ve just got to get them out on the floor.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
@paul… Agreed re the bench. Doc just will not play guys like Harangody when it’s obvious he can bring some energy and he knows his role is to rebound and defend. Whatever happened to Bradley playing? I understand the need for an 8-9 man rotation during the playoffs but with the injuries and all why not allow the bench to gain experience during the season (which is what it’s for) so they can help if need be in the playoffs? Lastly, you’re so right about the ‘excuses’. Get over it people. Three HOFs and 4 All-stars started last night and two of the HOFs managed 5 total rebounds in 75 minutes of play. That’s not going to get it done. Why can’t RA & PP rebound better? Go Cs…
Like or Dislike:
0 
0
Agreed on Doc needing to get the reserves some experience. It’s becoming the same decision as last year: Does he rest the starters to keep them fresh for playoffs, or does he go for the top 1 or 2 seed in the East? With the number of injuries, it doesn’t look like they are going to get the top seed anyway, so why not give Luke and Avery some playing time?
Rondo is the key to winning a championship this year. Seems everyone agrees on that; he’s the backbone to running the offense;HOWEVER, can Delonte West be that guy? He’s far more of a threat on offense. Kobe (and others) can’t play free safety with him on the court. That is obviously becoming the strategy for other teams beating the C;s — force Rondo to shoot.
Like or Dislike:
0 
0