Hornets-Celtics Preview

By MIKE LIPKA
Posted Oct 31 2009 3:17PM

After a sluggish finish to last season, the Boston Celtics look refreshed and rejuvenated. That was bad news for the first two opponents to visit TD Garden.

Chris Paul and the New Orleans Hornets look to provide a tougher test at Boston, while the Celtics will try to stay hot when the teams meet Sunday night.

Boston opened the season with an impressive victory at Cleveland and avoided any drama in its subsequent games, winning twice at home by an average of more than 30 points.

The Celtics (3-0) held Charlotte to 59 points at TD Garden on Wednesday, then relied on offense to cruise past Chicago on Friday. Boston's 38-point third quarter was the decisive blow in a 118-90 victory.

Ray Allen scored nine points near the end of the first half and Paul Pierce got hot after the break, hitting all five of his 3-pointers in the third quarter and scoring 20 points in the period.

"That was beautiful to watch," forward Kevin Garnett said. "To watch those two play and build the lead up while they were in there."

With six blocked shots in three games, Garnett has helped Boston regain its dominant defensive form after he missed the end of last season and the playoffs with knee problems. The Celtics needed seven games to eliminate the Bulls in the first round before getting knocked off by Orlando in Game 7 at home in the Eastern Conference semifinals.

With Garnett back this season, Celtics opponents have shot 38.1 percent from the field, with the Bobcats and Bulls going a combined 2 of 25 from 3-point range in Boston.

Since the start of the 2007-08 season, the Celtics are 72-12 at home in the regular season, including a pair of double-digit wins over New Orleans. Boston also swept the 2008-09 season series with an 89-77 road win Feb. 11.

The Hornets (1-1) will likely need to improve their play if they want to buck that trend, especially after struggling to a 97-92 home win over lowly Sacramento on Friday.

Paul scored 31 points, but it took a pair of blocked shots by Emeka Okafor in the closing seconds to preserve the victory.

"We won but how we played wasn't good enough," coach Byron Scott said. "We allowed them to come in here and dominate. If we expect to be a good basketball team we have to be a good defensive and rebounding team and tonight we weren't."

New Orleans did, however, get another promising performance from Okafor, who missed the entire preseason with a toe injury after coming over in an offseason trade from Charlotte.

The center had his second straight double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, and is 13 of 22 from the field on the season.

"I'm just happy that I was able to contribute, considering that I didn't have a preseason, that I could come in, have a couple decent starts and kind of put everybody's mind at ease," Okafor said. "It was on my mind, having a decent first impression to just kind of calm everybody's nerves."

This will be Hornets reserve James Posey's second visit to Boston since helping the Celtics to the 2008 NBA title. The veteran is off to a slow start, with five points in 41 minutes.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and Associated Press is strictly prohibited

Pierce, Celtics sting Hornets in home win

By Couper Moorhead, for NBA.com
Posted Sunday November 1, 2009 9:52PM

BOSTON (NBA.com exclusive) -- The New Orleans Hornets rode the Peja Stojakovic train for as long they as they could, but it couldn't quite get them the first guest victory of the year at TD Garden.

That's because it ran smack into Kevin Garnett.

With a late surge led by Stojakovic jumpers (26 points, 11 in the fourth), the Hornets seemed poised to steal the game. But a lack of inside scoring (26 points in the paint) limited them as the Celtics beat the Hornets, 97-87, behind late maestro work from the stars.

After Stojakovic poured in 11 consecutive points to open the fourth, the Hornets were down two with six minutes to go. But after Stojakovic missed a heat-check jumper and fumbled a pass out of bounds, the Hornets -- who would only score seven more points -- had nowhere to go. The Celtics had Garnett and Paul Pierce.

"It went through KG and Paul and it really was a two-man game," Celtics coach Doc Rivers said. "We basically said if they switch, post them; if they don't, Paul, turn the corner."

First, Garnett made back-to-back turnaround jumpers. Then, after hits from Pierce and Ray Allen, Garnett sealed the deal with three consecutive assists, each to a different teammate for a jumper. Unlike the Hornets, who were only in the game because of hot perimeter scoring, the Celtics had cleared space for those late jumpers by working inside-out and thoroughly dominating the paint (56 points in the middle).

"That's what I'm in there for," Garnett said. "I'm in there trying to wreak havoc on defense and then trying to make it easy for everybody else."

Not that anything is anywhere near perfect for Boston. It was all just enough.

"So far this year, we've done a great job of each game building and improving. This was not one of those nights," Rivers said. "We absolutely didn't improve tonight. We just won a game."

For much of the first half, the Hornets' offense looked discombobulated. They lacked fluidity, had more turnovers (11) than assists (10), were forced into jumpers and never looked like a team poised to make a big run. The Celtics have been every bit as good as their reputation on defense for much of their first three home games, and little the Hornets did proved very effective.

Getting David West the ball in the post didn't work (1-for-4 in the half). Nor did briefly posting Hilton Armstrong against Kevin Garnett or Bobby Brown trying to shoot his team into a lead (3-for-9 in nine first-half minutes). New Hornet Emeka Okafor, acquired for Tyson Chandler in the offseason, struggled the most against the Boston front line.

In less than three second-quarter minutes, Okafor had the proverbial chair pulled from under him by Garnett in the post, had his shot blocked by Perkins and committed an offensive foul, the latter resulting in a trip to the bench.

"The one thing I told our guys, I said, 'That is truly a team over there,' " Hornets coach Byron Scott said. "They talk to each other on the floor. They communicate extremely well. They cover each other's back. We are a team right now that has a bunch of individuals that are playing."

And yet with their bigs contributing little (West finished 4-of-14 for 10 points), New Orleans was still in the game. The nine-point halftime deficit of the Hornets was the smallest of any Boston opponent at TD Garden this season. The Hornets had a good half from Stojakovic (10 points) to thank for that. And after 14 third-quarter points from Chris Paul -- an MVP-caliber turnaround after a five-point first half -- the lead was cut to three.

But even with a 2002-esque performance from Stojakovic in the fourth, the seeds of defeat were already sown. Home games have been the Celtics' to lose, and though there's plenty left to do, they are at least sending opponents home with a much longer laundry list than their own.

• Hornets: Diogu, Marks, Thornton
• Celtics: Allen, Davis, Walker

• Hornets: Paul
• Celtics: Rondo

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 8

• Arena: TD Garden, Boston, MA
• Officials: #57 Greg Willard, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr., #33 Sean Corbin
• Attendance: 18624
• Duration: 2:9

New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Boston Celtics (25-8)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Perkins vs Okafor (Pierce gains possession)
	11:52 [BOS 2-0]	Pierce Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Okafor Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Pierce (1 ST)	11:36
	11:28	Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:26
Okafor Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	11:23
Okafor Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	11:23
	11:10	Pierce Jump Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:10
	11:03	Rondo Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed	10:48
	10:47	Team Rebound
	10:33	Garnett Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Okafor (1 ST)
Wright Running Bank shot: Made (2 PTS)	10:28 [NOH 2-2]
	10:15	Okafor Violation:Defensive Goaltending
	10:15 [BOS 4-2]	Rondo Driving Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Okafor Hook Shot: Missed	09:58
	09:57	Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Paul Foul : Personal (1 PF)	09:55
	09:39	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed
Peterson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:38
Paul Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	09:24 [NOH 4-4]
	09:07 [BOS 6-4]	Perkins Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed	08:53
	08:52	Rondo Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	08:43	Allen 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	08:42
West Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Peterson (1 AST)	08:25 [NOH 6-6]
	08:05	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed Block: West (1 BLK)
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	08:04
Wright 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Paul (1 AST)	07:54 [NOH 9-6]
	07:35	Rondo Running Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	07:34
West Jump Shot: Missed	07:26
	07:24	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	07:20	Team Timeout : Short
	07:16	Rondo Turnover : Discontinue Dribble (1 TO)
Okafor Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)	07:03 [NOH 11-6]
	06:44	Perkins Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	06:43
Wright Jump Shot: Missed	06:34
	06:33	Team Rebound
Paul Substitution replaced by Brown	06:33
	06:25 [BOS 8-11]	Pierce Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Perkins (1 AST)
	06:12	Allen Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Peterson Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	06:12
Brown Jump Shot: Missed	06:03
	06:02	Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	05:57 [BOS 10-11]	Garnett Running Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Rondo (1 AST)
Wright Layup Shot: Missed	05:50
Team Rebound	05:50
	05:50	Team Timeout : Regular
Stojakovic Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Okafor (1 AST)	05:47 [NOH 13-10]
	05:30	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	05:29
	05:16	Garnett Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	05:06
	05:04	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	04:59 [BOS 12-13]	Pierce Driving Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Rondo (2 AST)
Wright Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	04:59
Wright Substitution replaced by Posey	04:59
	04:59 [BOS 13-13]	Pierce Free Throw 1 of 1 (7 PTS)
Stojakovic Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	04:39
	04:28	Allen 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	04:27
Brown 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Okafor (2 AST)	04:12 [NOH 16-13]
	04:06	Pierce Foul : Offensive (1 PF)
	04:06	Pierce Turnover : Foul (1 TO)
	04:06	Rondo Substitution replaced by House
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	04:06
Brown Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Allen (1 ST)	03:53
	03:42	Perkins Turnover : 3 Second Violation (1 TO)
Armstrong Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Pierce (2 ST)	03:30
Stojakovic Foul : Personal (1 PF)	03:21
	03:21	Garnett Substitution replaced by Wallace
	03:16 [BOS 15-16]	Pierce Driving Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Wallace (1 AST)
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	03:16
	03:16 [BOS 16-16]	Pierce Free Throw 1 of 1 (10 PTS)
Brown Turnover : Traveling (2 TO)	03:01
	03:01	Allen Substitution replaced by Daniels
	02:48 [BOS 18-16]	Perkins Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:25
Brown Reverse Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Armstrong (1 AST)	02:22 [NOH 18-18]
	01:58 [BOS 20-18]	House Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Wallace (2 AST)
Posey Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	01:38
Posey Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	01:38
	01:21	Wallace 3pt Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	01:20
Armstrong Jump Shot: Missed	01:11
	01:09	Daniels Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Posey Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:59.4
	00:59.4 [BOS 21-18]	House Free Throw 1 of 2 (3 PTS)
	00:59.4 [BOS 22-18]	House Free Throw 2 of 2 (4 PTS)
Armstrong Reverse Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Posey (1 AST)	00:50.3 [NOH 20-22]
	00:38.9	Wallace 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	00:38.2
	00:38.2	Perkins Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)
Brown Floating Jump shot: Missed	00:27.8
	00:26.9	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	00:02.9	House 3pt Shot: Missed
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	00:01.8
End of 1st Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Boston Celtics (25-8)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Brown 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Paul (2 AST)	11:47 [NOH 23-22]
	11:24	Williams Layup Shot: Missed Block: Armstrong (1 BLK)
Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:23
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	11:02
	11:01	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:43	Wallace Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	10:41
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	10:32
	10:31	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:23	House 3pt Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	10:23
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	10:08
	10:07	Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Brown Foul : Personal (1 PF)	09:50
	09:50	House Substitution replaced by Rondo
	09:41 [BOS 24-23]	Allen Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Wallace (3 AST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	09:15
	09:14	Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:02	Allen Jump Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	09:01
Paul Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Rondo (1 ST)	08:53
Paul Foul : Personal (2 PF)	08:52
	08:52	Timeout : Official
Brown Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	08:52
Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor	08:52
	08:38 [BOS 26-23]	Allen Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (3 AST)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	08:18
	08:17	Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
Songaila Foul : Personal (1 PF)	08:12
	08:02 [BOS 28-23]	Wallace Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Allen (1 AST)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Paul (3 AST)	07:39 [NOH 26-28]
	07:16 [BOS 30-26]	Wallace Jump Bank Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (4 AST)
	07:00	Daniels Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Stojakovic Free Throw 1 of 2 (6 PTS)	07:00 [NOH 27-30]
Stojakovic Free Throw 2 of 2 (7 PTS)	07:00 [NOH 28-30]
Songaila Foul : Personal (2 PF)	06:46
	06:46	Williams Substitution replaced by Garnett
	06:32	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	06:31
Okafor Layup Shot: Missed	06:22
Okafor Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	06:21
Okafor Tip Shot: Missed	06:20
	06:19	Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	06:12 [BOS 33-28]	Allen 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS)
	06:10	Double Technical - Rondo, Paul
Songaila Substitution replaced by West	06:10
	06:10	Wallace Substitution replaced by Perkins
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	05:56
	05:55	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	05:42	Allen Jump Shot: Missed
Posey Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	05:41
Paul Layup Shot: Missed	05:34
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	05:33
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	05:21
	05:20	Team Rebound
Okafor Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)	05:20
	05:20	Team Timeout : Regular
Posey Substitution replaced by Wright	05:20
	05:20 [BOS 34-28]	Perkins Free Throw 1 of 2 (5 PTS)
	05:20 [BOS 35-28]	Perkins Free Throw 2 of 2 (6 PTS)
West Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	04:59
Stojakovic Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	04:58
Wright Driving Dunk Shot: Made (7 PTS)	04:50 [NOH 30-35]
	04:34	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	04:33
Okafor Layup Shot: Missed Block: Perkins (1 BLK)	04:25
Team Rebound	04:25
	04:25	Daniels Substitution replaced by Pierce
Okafor Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	04:14
Okafor Turnover : Foul (3 TO)	04:14
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	04:14
	04:03 [BOS 38-30]	Pierce 3pt Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Garnett (1 AST)
Paul Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	03:42
	03:35	Garnett Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)
West Turnover : Traveling (1 TO)	03:17
	03:08 [BOS 41-30]	Pierce 3pt Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Rondo (5 AST)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)	02:40 [NOH 33-41]
	02:26	Perkins Turnaround Fade Away shot: Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	02:25
Wright Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed	02:05
	02:05	Rondo Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	01:52 [BOS 43-33]	Garnett Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (6 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	01:47
Armstrong Jump Shot: Missed	01:32
	01:30	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	01:14
	01:14	Perkins Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	01:14	Team Rebound
	01:14	Perkins Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Wright Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	01:13
Paul 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS)	01:03 [NOH 36-43]
	00:48.2 [BOS 45-36]	Pierce Driving Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Garnett (2 AST)
Paul Jump Shot: Missed	00:30.9
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	00:29.9
Armstrong Putback Slam Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS)	00:29.9 [NOH 38-45]
	00:06.9 [BOS 47-38]	Pierce Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (20 PTS)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 2nd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Boston Celtics (25-8)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
West Layup Shot: Missed	11:43
	11:42	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	11:33	Allen Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	11:33
Paul Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Wright (1 AST)	11:15 [NOH 40-47]
	11:00 [BOS 49-40]	Garnett Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Rondo (7 AST)
Peterson Jump Shot: Missed	10:47
	10:45	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	10:29	Rondo Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	10:28
Okafor Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Peterson (2 AST)	10:16 [NOH 42-49]
	10:16	Garnett Foul : Away From Play (2 PF)
West Free Throw 1 of 1 (3 PTS)	10:16 [NOH 43-49]
	10:16 [BOS 51-43]	Garnett Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS)
West Jump Shot: Missed	09:41
	09:39	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	09:32	Garnett Alley Oop Dunk Shot: Missed
	09:31	Allen Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	09:22	Rondo Jump Shot: Missed
Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	09:21
West Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Paul (4 AST)	09:13 [NOH 45-49]
Wright Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	09:00
	09:00	Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	09:00	Team Rebound
	09:00 [BOS 50-45]	Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (21 PTS)
Peterson 3pt Shot: Missed	08:42
West Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	08:41
West Jump Shot: Missed	08:38
	08:37	Allen Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:22	Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	08:22
Wright Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Rondo (2 ST)	08:02
Peterson Foul : Personal (1 PF)	07:55
	07:50 [BOS 52-45]	Allen Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: Rondo (8 AST)
West Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Paul (5 AST)	07:28 [NOH 47-52]
	07:14	Pierce Jump Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (1 BLK)
	07:14	Team Rebound
	07:07 [BOS 56-47]	Perkins Slam Dunk Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Allen (2 AST)
Okafor Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Rondo (3 ST)	06:49
	06:44 [BOS 58-47]	Perkins Dunk Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Rondo (9 AST)
Peterson 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Paul (6 AST)	06:28 [NOH 50-58]
	06:10	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed
Okafor Rebound (Off:2 Def:8)	06:08
Wright Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	06:05
Wright Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	06:05
	06:05	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:49 [BOS 60-50]	Allen Jump Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Pierce (1 AST)
West Jump Shot: Missed	05:35
	05:34	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	05:22 [BOS 62-50]	Garnett Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (10 PTS)
	05:12	Allen Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Wright Substitution replaced by Stojakovic	05:12
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	05:02
	05:01	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	04:51	Garnett Foul : Offensive (3 PF)
	04:51	Garnett Turnover : Foul (3 TO)
Paul 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS)	04:39 [NOH 53-62]
	04:20 [BOS 64-53]	Allen Layup Shot: Made (13 PTS) Assist: Perkins (2 AST)
Paul Running Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)	03:58 [NOH 55-64]
	03:40 [BOS 66-55]	Rondo Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Stojakovic Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS)	03:15 [NOH 57-66]
Paul Foul : Personal (3 PF)	03:03
	03:03	Perkins Substitution replaced by Wallace
Okafor Substitution replaced by Armstrong	03:03
Peterson Substitution replaced by Brown	03:02
	02:54 [BOS 68-57]	Allen Layup Shot: Made (15 PTS)
Armstrong Dunk Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Paul (7 AST)	02:45 [NOH 59-68]
	02:30	Allen Jump Shot: Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	02:29
	02:21	Rondo Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:21
	02:21	Allen Substitution replaced by Daniels
Paul Pullup Jump shot: Made (14 PTS)	02:13 [NOH 61-68]
Brown Foul : Personal (2 PF)	02:03
	01:58	Garnett Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO) Steal:Brown (1 ST)
Brown 3pt Shot: Missed	01:43
	01:42	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
Stojakovic Foul : Personal (2 PF)	01:31
	01:31 [BOS 69-61]	Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (22 PTS)
	01:31	Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Armstrong Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	01:30
Paul Running Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS)	01:11 [NOH 63-69]
	00:56.9	Wallace Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Armstrong (1 ST)
Brown Layup Shot: Missed Block: Garnett (1 BLK)	00:51.9
	00:50.4	Rondo Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	00:44.9	Rondo Jump Shot: Missed
Paul Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	00:42.9
Paul Driving Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS)	00:38.2 [NOH 65-69]
	00:38.2	Pierce Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
	00:38.2	Garnett Substitution replaced by Williams
Paul Free Throw 1 of 1 (19 PTS)	00:38.2 [NOH 66-69]
	00:31.9	Rondo Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Paul (1 ST)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Brown (1 AST)	00:25.4 [NOH 69-69]
	00:01.1 [BOS 72-69]	Wallace 3pt Shot: Made (7 PTS) Assist: Pierce (2 AST)
Instant Replay - Support Ruling	00:00.0
End of 3rd Quarter
New Orleans Hornets (16-17)		Boston Celtics (25-8)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
	11:48	Wallace Jump Shot: Missed
	11:47	Team Rebound
Posey Foul : Personal (3 PF)	11:47
	11:36	Pierce Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Armstrong (2 ST)
Stojakovic Jump Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Armstrong (2 AST)	11:28 [NOH 71-72]
	11:10	Wallace 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	11:10
	11:10	Daniels Foul : Loose Ball (2 PF)
Songaila Jump Shot: Missed	10:47
	10:46	Daniels Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	10:30 [BOS 74-71]	Wallace Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (9 PTS)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Songaila (1 AST)	10:17 [NOH 74-74]
Armstrong Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	09:57
	09:57	Pierce Substitution replaced by Allen
	09:57 [BOS 75-74]	Daniels Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	09:57	Daniels Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
	09:56	House Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	09:48 [BOS 78-74]	Wallace 3pt Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: House (1 AST)
Brown Pullup Jump shot: Missed	09:33
	09:32	Williams Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	09:17 [BOS 80-74]	Williams Driving Dunk Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: House (2 AST)
Team Timeout : Regular	09:15
Stojakovic Jump Shot: Missed	09:01
	09:00	Wallace Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)
	08:42	Daniels Layup Shot: Missed
	08:41	Williams Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	08:40	Williams Layup Shot: Missed
Brown Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	08:38
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (23 PTS) Assist: Songaila (2 AST)	08:31 [NOH 77-80]
	08:11 [BOS 82-77]	Daniels Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: House (3 AST)
Posey Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO)	07:57
	07:45	Wallace Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Armstrong (3 ST)
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	07:33
Team Rebound	07:32
Brown Substitution replaced by Paul	07:32
	07:25	Daniels Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Armstrong Substitution replaced by Okafor	07:25
	07:25	Williams Substitution replaced by Perkins
Paul 3pt Shot: Missed	07:09
	07:08	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)
	06:51	Perkins Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Paul (2 ST)
Posey 3pt Shot: Missed	06:45
	06:42	House Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	06:25	House Turnover : Discontinue Dribble (1 TO)
	06:25	Wallace Substitution replaced by Garnett
	06:25	Daniels Substitution replaced by Pierce
Songaila Substitution replaced by West	06:25
	06:17	House Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	06:17	House Substitution replaced by Rondo
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Made (26 PTS) Assist: Paul (8 AST)	06:07 [NOH 80-82]
	06:03	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:45 [BOS 84-80]	Garnett Turnaround Fade Away shot: Made (12 PTS)
Stojakovic Jump Shot: Missed	05:25
	05:24	Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	05:14	Rondo Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:Posey (1 ST)
Stojakovic Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (2 TO)	05:10
	04:59	Rondo Turnover : Traveling (4 TO)
West Jump Shot: Missed	04:37
	04:37	Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)
	04:20 [BOS 86-80]	Garnett Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS)
West 3pt Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Stojakovic (1 AST)	04:02 [NOH 83-86]
	03:42 [BOS 88-83]	Allen Jump Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Rondo (10 AST)
	03:24	Rondo Foul : Personal (3 PF)
West 3pt Shot: Missed	03:12
	03:11	Team Rebound
Okafor Foul : Personal (4 PF)	03:11
Posey Substitution replaced by Brown	03:11
	02:53	Garnett Jump Shot: Missed
	02:52	Pierce Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
Brown Foul : Personal (3 PF)	02:52
	02:52	Timeout : Official
	02:34 [BOS 90-83]	Pierce Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (24 PTS)
	02:21	Rondo Foul : Personal (4 PF)
Paul Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	02:21
Team Rebound	02:21
Paul Free Throw 2 of 2 (20 PTS)	02:21 [NOH 84-90]
	02:04 [BOS 92-84]	Rondo Floating Jump shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Garnett (3 AST)
Paul Pullup Jump shot: Made (22 PTS)	01:39 [NOH 86-92]
	01:17 [BOS 95-86]	Pierce 3pt Shot: Made (27 PTS) Assist: Garnett (4 AST)
Okafor Jump Shot: Missed	01:02
	01:02	Perkins Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)
	00:39.1 [BOS 97-86]	Perkins Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Garnett (5 AST)
Team Timeout : Short	00:39.1
West Jump Shot: Missed	00:29.9
Team Rebound	00:29.2
	00:29.2	Garnett Foul : Personal (4 PF)
Okafor Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	00:29.2
Team Rebound	00:29.2
Okafor Free Throw 2 of 2 (5 PTS)	00:29.2 [NOH 87-97]
	00:05.2	Allen Layup Shot: Missed Block: Okafor (2 BLK)
	00:05.2	Team Rebound
	00:05.2	Team Turnover : Shot Clock Turnover
Stojakovic 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			NBA TV	National	Final
		--	CST	Local	Final
		--	CSN-NE	Local	Final
canada			RTV	national	Final