Celtics-Spurs Preview

By KATE HEDLIN
Posted Mar 30 2011 3:52PM

A once comfortable lead atop the Western Conference has shrunk dramatically in the past 10 days for the injury-riddled San Antonio Spurs.

The Boston Celtics' lead in the East is long gone and they're not playing as if they can get it back.

One of these stumbling title contenders will get a much-needed boost Thursday night, when the Spurs looks to avoid their worst losing streak in nearly 14 years and a fifth straight home loss to the Celtics.

San Antonio (57-17) still leads the West but is struggling to hold off the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas. The Spurs had a seven-game lead over Los Angeles on March 21, but that margin has been cut in half because they've lost a season-high four in a row.

Tim Duncan has missed all four of the losses with a sprained ankle and the Spurs' injury woes worsened earlier this week. They were without Tony Parker (left knee contusion), Manu Ginobili (bruised thigh) and Antonio McDyess (back) in a 100-92 loss to Portland on Monday.

"It's life. You have to deal with it and figure out how to get better," said George Hill, who had a team-high 27 points. "No one's hanging their head or thinking we're not as good as we've been all year."

Parker is considered the most likely of the Spurs' injured players to return Thursday, though McDyess also has a chance to play. Ginobili, injured in Sunday's loss at Memphis, said he was feeling "much better" on Monday, but his status and Duncan's are unknown.

The Spurs are at risk of losing five consecutive games for the first time since dropping their final six of the 1996-97 season.

Monday marked only their fourth loss in 37 home games this season, but the Celtics (51-22) have won their last four visits to San Antonio. The only other team not to have lost at least once in its last two regular-season games there is Utah.

When the Spurs lost 105-103 in Boston on Jan. 5, the teams had the two best records in the NBA. While San Antonio has maintained the league's top record despite its struggles, Boston has only the fifth-best mark and has fallen behind Chicago for the East lead.

The Celtics have lost three of four and seven of 12, including a 107-100 defeat at Indiana on Monday. Boston gave up 42 points in the paint and failed to outrebound the opposition for a fourth consecutive game as it continues to play without injured big men Shaquille O'Neal and Jermaine O'Neal.

Rajon Rondo did play after missing Sunday's game against Minnesota with a jammed finger on his right hand, finishing with 22 points and eight assists. He had averaged 5.8 points on 29.2 percent shooting in his previous eight games.

With depth a concern for Boston, fatigue could be an issue. They were outscored 26-15 in the fourth quarter Monday and by an average of 26.3 to 15.7 in their last three losses.

"We became a great team because we were known to do it for 48 minutes," Kevin Garnett said. "We seem to be missing that right now."

Garnett did not play against the Spurs in January, but Boston shot 61.3 percent. Ray Allen scored 31 points while Rondo had 22 assists, 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Celtics have won six of the last eight meetings.

Copyright 2011 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

Celtics snap funk, send Spurs to 5th straight loss

By PAUL J. WEBER
Posted Mar 31 2011 11:47PM

SAN ANTONIO (AP) The Boston Celtics finally got a big win and their big man back. They may also reclaim the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

And the San Antonio Spurs, at this dismal rate, may give first place in the West away.

Rajon Rondo had 22 points and 14 assists, center Jermaine O'Neal returned from knee surgery, and the Celtics ended a miserable March by not slipping further from first in the East, beating the slumping Spurs 107-97 on Thursday night.

Paul Pierce added 21 points and 11 rebounds, and Kevin Garnett scored 20. The Celtics won for just the second time in five games and, ending the month at 9-7, moved within two games of Chicago for the No. 1 playoff seed with eight games to go.

"This is a good place to try and gather some momentum," Pierce said. "You talk about the team with the best record. What better place to get back on track than here?"

Yet these days, San Antonio's luster isn't what it used to be.

The Spurs lost their fifth straight - their longest skid all season - and the timing couldn't be worse. San Antonio has seven games left but is in danger of falling out of first place after comfortably being No. 1 in the West all season.

San Antonio's woes have renewed hopes the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas have of taking the top spot. The Lakers were 3 games back and hosted the Mavericks - who were 3 1/2 games behind the Spurs - later Thursday night.

"Of course we want to be No. 1. We don't want to give it way just because we like being underdogs," Spurs guard Manu Ginobili said. "We want to win it. We put ourselves in an unbelievable situation."

Tony Parker led the Spurs with 23 points. Tim Duncan returned after missing the last four games with a sprained ankle and finished with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The Celtics celebrated the return of their own big man: O'Neal. The 14-year veteran played for the first time since January after having arthroscopic surgery on his left knee. He scored five points in 11 minutes and hit his only two shots.

He turned his last into a three-point play after getting fouled, a play that swung the momentum back to Boston after the Spurs had gotten within seven early in the fourth.

O'Neal said he felt winded at times and said he was shocked at the pace of the game. It was just the 18th game for O'Neal this season.

"We need him back," said Celtics coach Doc Rivers, alluding to his depleted frontcourt that is still without Shaquille O'Neal. "And we need the minutes."

Glen Davis scored 16 points as Boston had four players in double figures.

The Celtics broke open a tie game at halftime behind a 12-0 run in the third quarter. The Spurs never got closer than six after that.

The Celtics arrived in San Antonio after losing to Indiana, Charlotte and Memphis in three of their last four games. Two weeks ago, Boston (52-22) was tied for first place in the East.

Miami has also crawled back into contention for first, sitting a half-game behind Boston, but a big win against the toughest opponent they've seen in weeks kept the Celtics ahead of the Heat.

Then again, the Spurs aren't looking so tough lately.

San Antonio (57-18) didn't panic after losing four games with Duncan sidelined. But not even its starting five back and healthy could help the Spurs stop their season-worst skid.

The Spurs had nine losses at the All-Star break. They've dropped more than half that number of games in the past week alone.

"It happens to everybody. And this is about the worst time it could happen, at the end of the year," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said before tipoff. "If it has to happen, you want it to happen 30 games in so you can get back and recover. So we got to step on it."

Ginobili, who sat out Monday's loss against Portland with a left quad contusion, had nine points on just 4-of-13 shooting. Richard Jefferson added 14 points.

Notes: Boston swept the season series 2-0 and will be the only team the Spurs didn't beat this season. ... Spurs F Antonio McDyess tweaked his left ankle in the second half but was cleared to return.

Copyright 2011 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

Celtics-Spurs notebook

By Tim Price, for NBA.com
Posted Thursday March 31, 2011 11:40PM

THE FACTS: Rajon Rondo led the Celtics with 22 points and had 14 assists, and Boston used a second-half shooting surge to hand the Spurs their fifth straight defeat by a count of 107-97 Thursday at AT&T Center. The Celtics (52-22) shot better than 60 percent in both the third and fourth quarters and also got big contributions from Paul Pierce (21 points, 11 rebounds) and Kevin Garnett (20 points on 9-of-12 shooting). After missing the last four games for the Spurs (57-18), Tim Duncan returned with 20 points and 13 rebounds.

QUOTABLE: "Tonight, we just made shots. Let's be honest. We kept moving the ball and Rondo kept taking shots."
-- Boston coach Doc Rivers

THE STAT: Boston certainly knocked down a lot of open jumpers, but the Celtics ran their offense efficiently enough to outscore San Antonio 20-10 in the paint in the third quarter. Most of that was because of Rondo, who shot 4-for-6 and had five assists. It was a tie game at half, but Boston entered the fourth quarter with a 77-70 lead.

TURNING POINT: The Spurs led by four points after Matt Bonner hit a pair of 3-pointers and Tony Parker converted a 3-point play on consecutive possessions midway through the third quarter. But the Spurs went cold when they missed their next nine shots -- five of them 3-point tries. The Celtics answered with points on six straight possessions with Rondo getting half of those and setting up another one with an assist.

QUOTABLE II: "The game was won when we got a little 3-happy in the third quarter. Then the transition defense didn't follow. They took advantage of it."
-- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich

HOT: Garnett had his best game since New York on March 21 (10-of-15, 24 points). His effort against San Antonio (9-of-12) was a bounce back from Monday's 2-of-4 night for six points in the loss to Indiana.

NOT: The Spurs are the best 3-point shooting team in the league, but recent play doesn't reflect that. They were 8-of-29 and are shooting 26 percent in the last two games (they were at 40 percent for the season coming into the game).

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: With 22 points and 14 assists, Rondo has hit double-figure scoring in four of the last five games and three times had a double-double. Before that, he went five games without double figures in any category except minutes (speaking of minutes, he's exceeded 40 in each of the last five games).

ROOKIE WATCH: With Duncan back in the lineup from a sprained ankle, Tiago Splitter played four minutes after averaging 22 minutes in the four games Duncan missed.

NOTABLE: Nenad Krstic left the game late in the first half with a right knee injury and did not return. He will have an MRI and will miss an undetermined amount of games. The Spurs haven't encountered a losing streak as long as this since they ended the 1996-97 season with six losses. The Celtics have not lost in San Antonio the past four seasons, and this season series ends with a Celtics sweep. Jermaine O'Neal made his first appearance since Jan. 10 (he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Feb. 4). He played 11 minutes and had a key basket and free throw after being fouled by Antonio McDyess that gave Boston a 82-72 lead with 10 ½ minutes to go. Pierce is five games away from matching Bill Russell (963 games) for fourth place in games played in a Celtics uniform. Duncan passed Dennis Rodman and into 21st place on the NBA's career rebounding list with 11,967 boards.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Friday @ Atlanta, Sunday vs. Detroit, Tuesday vs. Philadelphia. For the Spurs, Friday @ Houston, Sunday vs. Phoenix, Tuesday @ Atlanta.

• Celtics: Bradley, Murphy, O'Neal
• Spurs: Butler, Green, Quinn

• Celtics: Rondo
• Spurs: --

• Lead Changes: 5
• Times Tied: 6

• Arena: AT&T Center, San Antonio, TX
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #25 Tony Brothers, #12 Violet Palmer
• Attendance: 18583
• Duration: 2:15

Boston Celtics (52-22)		San Antonio Spurs (57-18)
Start of 1st Quarter
(12:00) Jump Ball Duncan vs Krstic (Garnett gains possession)
Krstic Jump Shot: Missed	11:42
	11:41	Duncan Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:26	Ginobili Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:24
Pierce Jump Shot: Missed	11:13
Rondo Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	11:10
Rondo Layup Shot: Missed	11:10
	11:09	Duncan Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
Pierce Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	11:05
	11:05 [SAS 1-0]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
	11:05	Parker Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:04
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Pierce (1 AST)	10:52 [BOS 2-1]
	10:36 [SAS 4-2]	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Parker (1 AST)
Garnett Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	10:18
Garnett Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	10:18
	10:04	Duncan Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO)
Pierce Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	09:56 [BOS 4-4]
	09:48	Parker Turnover : Lost Ball (1 TO) Steal:Krstic (1 ST)
Allen Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Duncan (1 ST)	09:41
Garnett Foul : Shooting (2 PF)	09:33
	09:33 [SAS 5-4]	Duncan Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)
Garnett Substitution replaced by Davis	09:33
	09:33 [SAS 6-4]	Duncan Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)
Allen 3pt Shot: Missed	09:23
Pierce Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	09:20
Pierce Layup Shot: Missed Block: Duncan (1 BLK)	09:20
	09:19	Duncan Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	09:13 [SAS 8-4]	McDyess Reverse Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Parker (2 AST)
Davis Jump Hook Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Rondo (1 AST)	08:55 [BOS 6-8]
	08:41 [SAS 10-6]	Duncan Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: McDyess (1 AST)
	08:27	Parker Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Pierce (2 AST)	08:22 [BOS 8-10]
	08:05	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Missed
	08:03	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)
	08:02 [SAS 12-8]	McDyess Dunk Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Duncan (1 AST)
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)	07:47 [BOS 10-12]
	07:33	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
	07:31	McDyess Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	07:25 [SAS 15-10]	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Duncan (2 AST)
Rondo Driving Jump shot: Missed	07:09
	07:08	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)
	07:02	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	07:00
Pierce 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Allen (1 AST)	06:50 [BOS 13-15]
	06:31	Ginobili Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:1 Def:3)	06:29
Davis Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (2 AST)	06:20 [BOS 15-15]
	06:17	Team Timeout : Regular
Krstic Substitution replaced by O'Neal	06:17
	06:02	Parker Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	06:00
Allen Foul : Offensive (1 PF)	05:49
Allen Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	05:49
	05:49	McDyess Substitution replaced by Bonner
	05:49	Ginobili Substitution replaced by Hill
	05:36 [SAS 17-15]	Duncan Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Parker (3 AST)
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (7 PTS)	05:18 [BOS 17-17]
	05:03	Jefferson Jump Shot: Missed
	05:01	Bonner Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)
	04:54 [SAS 19-17]	Parker Driving Layup Shot: Made (3 PTS)
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	04:39
	04:38	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)
	04:28 [SAS 21-17]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS)
Team Timeout : Regular	04:22
Allen Substitution replaced by West	04:22
O'Neal Turnaround Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS)	04:07 [BOS 19-21]
West Foul : Personal (1 PF)	03:46
	03:32 [SAS 24-19]	Hill 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS) Assist: Parker (4 AST)
West Jump Shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: O'Neal (1 AST)	03:09 [BOS 21-24]
	02:55	Duncan Jump Bank Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	02:53
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	02:34
	02:33	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)
	02:27 [SAS 26-21]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS)
O'Neal Foul : Shooting (1 PF)	02:27
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Green	02:27
	02:27	Duncan Substitution replaced by Blair
	02:27 [SAS 27-21]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 1 (8 PTS)
Davis Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS)	02:18 [BOS 23-27]
	02:04 [SAS 29-23]	Parker Driving Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	01:51
Pierce Rebound (Off:2 Def:4)	01:50
Pierce Putback Layup Shot: Made (9 PTS)	01:50 [BOS 25-29]
	01:50	Bonner Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 1 Missed	01:50
	01:49	Blair Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	01:32	Hill Jump Shot: Missed
	01:30	Bonner Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)
	01:29 [SAS 31-25]	Bonner Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Davis Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Pierce (3 AST)	01:11 [BOS 27-31]
	00:53.9	Hill 3pt Shot: Missed
	00:50.9	Blair Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
West Foul : Personal (2 PF)	00:48.3
	00:48.3 [SAS 32-27]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 2 (11 PTS)
	00:48.3	Jefferson Substitution replaced by Ginobili
	00:48.3 [SAS 33-27]	Parker Free Throw 2 of 2 (12 PTS)
Rondo Driving Reverse Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Davis (1 AST)	00:42.9 [BOS 29-33]
Rondo Substitution replaced by Pavlovic	00:38.4
	00:38.4	Parker Substitution replaced by Neal
	00:33.9	Neal Jump Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	00:31.9
	00:25.7	Hill Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)	00:25.7 [BOS 30-33]
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)	00:25.7 [BOS 31-33]
	00:02.9	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	00:01.3
West 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 1st Quarter
Boston Celtics (52-22)		San Antonio Spurs (57-18)
Start of 2nd QuarterBack to Top
Pavlovic Foul : Personal (1 PF)	11:50
	11:38	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
Pavlovic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	11:37
Green Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed	11:20
	11:19	Ginobili Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	11:11 [SAS 36-31]	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Made (3 PTS)
Allen 3pt Shot: Missed	10:55
	10:53	Neal Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	10:37	Neal 3pt Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	10:35
	10:28	Ginobili Foul : Personal (1 PF)
Pavlovic Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Blair (1 ST)	10:27
Davis Foul : Loose Ball (1 PF)	10:27
	10:09	Blair Jump Shot: Missed
	10:06	Blair Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	10:04 [SAS 38-31]	Blair Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)
Davis Driving Jump shot: Missed	09:45
	09:44	Ginobili Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	09:37	Bonner Running Layup Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	09:35
Allen Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Bonner (1 ST)	09:26
	09:19	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	09:17
Pavlovic Substitution replaced by Garnett	09:17
Green Jump Shot: Missed	09:00
Green Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	08:58
Green Putback Layup Shot: Made (2 PTS)	08:58 [BOS 33-38]
	08:39	Hill Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
	08:39
	08:30	Blair Foul : Personal (1 PF)
	08:30	Bonner Substitution replaced by McDyess
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	08:24
	08:22	McDyess Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:13	Neal 3pt Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	08:12
	08:12	Blair Foul : Personal (2 PF)
West Substitution replaced by Rondo	08:12
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Allen (2 AST)	07:55 [BOS 35-38]
	07:40	McDyess Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)	07:38
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	07:29
	07:27	Ginobili Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
	07:22 [SAS 40-35]	McDyess Layup Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (1 AST)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (3 AST)	06:56 [BOS 37-40]
Green Foul : Personal (1 PF)	06:43
Davis Substitution replaced by Krstic	06:43
Green Substitution replaced by Pierce	06:43
	06:43	Blair Substitution replaced by Duncan
	06:37 [SAS 42-37]	Ginobili Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Duncan (3 AST)
	06:35	Team Violation : Delay Of Game
	06:27	Ginobili Foul : Personal (2 PF)
	06:27	Ginobili Substitution replaced by Jefferson
	06:27	Neal Substitution replaced by Parker
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Pierce (4 AST)	06:11 [BOS 39-42]
	05:45	Duncan Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:2 Def:5)	05:43
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	05:35
	05:33	Hill Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	05:28 [SAS 44-39]	Hill Layup Shot: Made (5 PTS)
Rondo Layup Shot: Missed Block: Duncan (2 BLK)	05:10
	05:08	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)
	05:03	Parker Layup Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	05:02
Rondo Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)	04:57 [BOS 41-44]
Rondo Technical	04:56
	04:56	Team Timeout : Regular
	04:56 [SAS 45-41]	Hill Free Throw Technical (6 PTS)
	04:40	Duncan Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Krstic (2 ST)
	04:37	Hill Foul : Shooting (2 PF)
Pierce Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)	04:37 [BOS 42-45]
	04:37	Hill Substitution replaced by Neal
Pierce Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)	04:37 [BOS 43-45]
	04:16	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Missed
	04:14	Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	04:00 [SAS 47-43]	Jefferson Driving Bank shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Parker (5 AST)
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	03:52
	03:51	Parker Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	03:44	Parker Jump Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	03:42
	03:28	McDyess Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Garnett Free Throw 1 of 2 (7 PTS)	03:28 [BOS 44-47]
Garnett Free Throw 2 of 2 (8 PTS)	03:28 [BOS 45-47]
	03:09	McDyess Layup Shot: Missed
	03:07	Neal Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	02:55	Neal 3pt Shot: Missed
Krstic Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	02:54
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	02:47
	02:45	Jefferson Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
	02:25	Duncan Turnover : Lost Ball (3 TO) Steal:Pierce (1 ST)
	02:19	Duncan Foul : Shooting (1 PF)
Team Timeout : Regular	02:19
	02:19	Neal Substitution replaced by Ginobili
Krstic Substitution replaced by Davis	02:19
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (1 PTS)	02:19 [BOS 46-47]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (2 PTS)	02:19 [BOS 47-47]
	01:59	Duncan Turnaround Jump Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:2 Def:6)	01:57
Pierce Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Parker (1 ST)	01:56
	01:42 [SAS 49-47]	Parker Pullup Jump shot: Made (14 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	01:21
	01:19	McDyess Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
	01:02	McDyess Jump Bank Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)	01:01
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Rondo (4 AST)	00:47.8 [BOS 49-49]
	00:27.9	McDyess Jump Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:5)	00:26.6
Team Timeout : Short	00:18.8
	00:18.8	Ginobili Substitution replaced by Neal
Garnett Substitution replaced by Green	00:18.8
Pierce Driving Layup Shot: Missed	00:06.8
	00:05.9	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:8)
	00:01.0	Neal Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
	00:00.0	Team Rebound
End of 2nd Quarter
Boston Celtics (52-22)		San Antonio Spurs (57-18)
Start of 3rd QuarterBack to Top
	11:40	Parker Jump Shot: Missed
	11:39	McDyess Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	11:32 [SAS 52-49]	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Made (11 PTS) Assist: Parker (6 AST)
	11:08	McDyess Foul : Personal (2 PF)
Pierce Turnover : Bad Pass (2 TO) Steal:Parker (2 ST)	11:06
	10:59 [SAS 54-49]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS)
Pierce Step Back Jump shot: Made (15 PTS)	10:32 [BOS 51-54]
	10:22	Duncan Turnover : Bad Pass (4 TO)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	10:11
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:0)	10:10
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Rondo (5 AST)	10:05 [BOS 53-54]
	09:46	Parker Turnover : Lost Ball (2 TO) Steal:Allen (1 ST)
Allen Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (6 AST)	09:37 [BOS 55-54]
	09:23	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:2 Def:7)	09:22
Allen 3pt Shot: Missed	09:16
Davis Rebound (Off:1 Def:4)	09:15
Davis Layup Shot: Made (10 PTS)	09:14 [BOS 57-54]
	08:49 [SAS 56-57]	Duncan Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS)
Pierce Jump Shot: Made (17 PTS)	08:32 [BOS 59-56]
	08:21	Team Timeout : Regular
	08:21	McDyess Substitution replaced by Bonner
	08:15	Ginobili Jump Shot: Missed Block: Allen (1 BLK)
Davis Rebound (Off:1 Def:5)	08:13
Davis Jump Shot: Missed	08:06
	08:05	Bonner Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)
	07:54	Bonner Turnover : Bad Pass (1 TO) Steal:Davis (1 ST)
Rondo Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Pierce (5 AST)	07:36 [BOS 61-56]
	07:31 [SAS 58-61]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (18 PTS)
Davis Foul : Shooting Block (2 PF)	07:31
	07:31 [SAS 59-61]	Parker Free Throw 1 of 1 (19 PTS)
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	07:19
	07:17	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:9)
	07:11 [SAS 62-61]	Bonner 3pt Shot: Made (5 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (2 AST)
Garnett Foul : Offensive (3 PF)	06:51
Garnett Turnover : Foul (2 TO)	06:51
Davis Substitution replaced by Green	06:51
	06:34 [SAS 65-61]	Bonner 3pt Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (3 AST)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Rondo (7 AST)	06:10 [BOS 63-65]
	05:52 [SAS 67-63]	Duncan Alley Oop Layup shot: Made (10 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (4 AST)
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	05:26
	05:25	Parker Rebound (Off:0 Def:2)
	05:14	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:6)	05:13
Green Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (8 AST)	05:07 [BOS 65-67]
	04:47	Parker 3pt Shot: Missed
Team Rebound	04:47
Garnett Substitution replaced by O'Neal	04:47
	04:47	Ginobili Substitution replaced by Hill
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	04:34
	04:33	Bonner Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	04:17	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:1)	04:16
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS)	04:10 [BOS 67-67]
	03:44	Parker Jump Shot: Missed
Green Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)	03:43
Rondo Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS)	03:37 [BOS 69-67]
	03:22	Bonner 3pt Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)	03:21
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (18 PTS)	03:10 [BOS 71-67]
	02:43	Jefferson Dunk Shot: Missed
Rondo Rebound (Off:2 Def:3)	02:42
Pierce Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS) Assist: Rondo (9 AST)	02:39 [BOS 73-67]
O'Neal Foul : Personal (2 PF)	02:21
Team Timeout : Regular	02:21
Rondo Substitution replaced by West	02:21
Allen Substitution replaced by Wafer	02:21
	02:21	Duncan Substitution replaced by Blair
	02:21	Parker Substitution replaced by Neal
	02:14	Neal Jump Shot: Missed
	02:13	Jefferson Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	02:02	Bonner Jump Shot: Missed
West Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)	02:01
Green Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: West (1 AST)	01:46 [BOS 75-67]
	01:32	Hill 3pt Shot: Missed
Wafer Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)	01:31
Green Running Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: West (2 AST)	01:15 [BOS 77-67]
West Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	00:56.0
	00:56.0	Jefferson Substitution replaced by Ginobili
Pierce Substitution replaced by Pavlovic	00:56.0
	00:56.0	Blair Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	00:56.0	Team Rebound
	00:56.0 [SAS 68-77]	Blair Free Throw 2 of 2 (3 PTS)
Green Jump Shot: Missed	00:42.9
O'Neal Rebound (Off:1 Def:0)	00:40.9
West Layup Shot: Missed Block: Blair (1 BLK)	00:34.9
	00:33.6	Blair Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	00:14.3 [SAS 70-77]	Ginobili Driving Layup Shot: Made (7 PTS)
	00:01.8	Neal Foul : Personal Take (1 PF)
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Allen	00:01.8
	00:01.8	Bonner Substitution replaced by Jefferson
Pavlovic Substitution replaced by Rondo	00:01.8
Rondo 3pt Shot: Missed	00:00.0
Team Rebound	00:00.0
End of 3rd Quarter
Boston Celtics (52-22)		San Antonio Spurs (57-18)
Start of 4th QuarterBack to Top
Allen Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Rondo (10 AST)	11:45 [BOS 79-70]
	11:32	Blair Jump Shot: Missed
Green Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)	11:32
	11:32	McDyess Foul : Personal (3 PF)
Green Foul : Offensive (2 PF)	11:23
Green Turnover : Foul (1 TO)	11:23
	11:23	Blair Substitution replaced by Splitter
	11:00 [SAS 72-79]	Neal Step Back Jump shot: Made (2 PTS) Assist: Hill (1 AST)
Allen Turnover : Lost Ball (4 TO) Steal:Hill (1 ST)	10:40
	10:37	Hill Turnover : Step Out of Bounds Turnover (2 TO)
O'Neal Layup Shot: Made (4 PTS) Assist: Rondo (11 AST)	10:30 [BOS 81-72]
	10:30	McDyess Foul : Shooting (4 PF)
O'Neal Free Throw 1 of 1 (5 PTS)	10:30 [BOS 82-72]
	10:15 [SAS 74-82]	Neal Running Jump Shot: Made (4 PTS)
Allen Jump Shot: Missed	10:00
	09:59	Splitter Rebound (Off:0 Def:1)
Green Foul : Personal (3 PF)	09:56
Green Substitution replaced by Davis	09:56
	09:46 [SAS 76-82]	Ginobili Floating Jump shot: Made (9 PTS)
	09:23	Ginobili Foul : Personal (3 PF)
O'Neal Substitution replaced by Garnett	09:23
Rondo Jump Shot: Made (20 PTS)	09:12 [BOS 84-76]
	08:56	Ginobili Layup Shot: Missed
	08:54	Splitter Rebound (Off:1 Def:1)
	08:53	Splitter Layup Shot: Missed Block: West (1 BLK)
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:7)	08:53
	08:53	Ginobili Foul : Personal (4 PF)
	08:53
Davis Layup Shot: Made (12 PTS) Assist: Rondo (12 AST)	08:46 [BOS 86-76]
	08:31	Neal 3pt Shot: Missed
	08:30	McDyess Rebound (Off:3 Def:2)
	08:21	Hill Turnover : Bad Pass (3 TO) Steal:West (1 ST)
Allen Layup Shot: Missed	08:16
	08:13	Neal Rebound (Off:2 Def:2)
	08:09 [SAS 78-86]	Neal Jump Shot: Made (6 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (5 AST)
Allen 3pt Shot: Made (9 PTS) Assist: West (3 AST)	07:42 [BOS 89-78]
	07:28 [SAS 80-89]	Neal Running Jump Shot: Made (8 PTS) Assist: Hill (2 AST)
Garnett Turnover : 3 Second Violation (3 TO)	07:11
	07:11	Splitter Substitution replaced by Duncan
	07:11	Hill Substitution replaced by Parker
	06:54	Ginobili Turnover : Out of Bounds Lost Ball Turnover (1 TO)
West Substitution replaced by Pierce	06:54
	06:54	Ginobili Substitution replaced by Jefferson
Pierce 3pt Shot: Missed	06:38
	06:37	Duncan Rebound (Off:1 Def:10)
	06:25	Parker Jump Shot: Missed Block: Garnett (1 BLK)
	06:23	Duncan Rebound (Off:2 Def:10)
Rondo Foul : Personal (1 PF)	06:19
	06:04	Neal Fade Away Jumper Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:8)	06:03
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	05:44
	05:42	Jefferson Rebound (Off:1 Def:2)
Davis Foul : Shooting (3 PF)	05:30
	05:30	Team Timeout : Regular
	05:30	Neal Substitution replaced by Ginobili
	05:30	Duncan Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed
	05:30	Team Rebound
	05:30 [SAS 81-89]	Duncan Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)
Rondo Pullup Jump shot: Made (22 PTS)	05:15 [BOS 91-81]
	04:57	McDyess Jump Shot: Missed Block: Pierce (1 BLK)
Davis Rebound (Off:1 Def:6)	04:55
Davis Jump Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Pierce (6 AST)	04:37 [BOS 93-81]
	04:19 [SAS 83-93]	Duncan Pullup Jump shot: Made (13 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Pierce (7 AST)	03:58 [BOS 95-83]
	03:46 [SAS 85-95]	Duncan Jump Shot: Made (15 PTS) Assist: Jefferson (1 AST)
Rondo Jump Shot: Missed	03:28
	03:27	Parker Rebound (Off:0 Def:3)
Pierce Foul : Personal (2 PF)	03:21
	03:21	McDyess Substitution replaced by Bonner
	03:18 [SAS 87-95]	Duncan Layup Shot: Made (17 PTS) Assist: Ginobili (6 AST)
Pierce Finger Roll Layup Shot: Missed	02:50
Pierce Rebound (Off:3 Def:7)	02:49
Pierce Tip Shot: Made (21 PTS)	02:49 [BOS 97-87]
	02:40 [SAS 89-97]	Duncan Layup Shot: Made (19 PTS) Assist: Parker (7 AST)
Davis Foul : Shooting (4 PF)	02:40
Team Timeout : Regular	02:40
	02:40 [SAS 90-97]	Duncan Free Throw 1 of 1 (20 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (18 PTS) Assist: Allen (3 AST)	02:18 [BOS 99-90]
	02:04 [SAS 92-99]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (21 PTS)
Garnett Jump Shot: Made (20 PTS) Assist: Rondo (13 AST)	01:46 [BOS 101-92]
	01:37	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Missed
Garnett Rebound (Off:0 Def:9)	01:36
Davis Layup Shot: Made (16 PTS) Assist: Rondo (14 AST)	01:29 [BOS 103-92]
	01:29	Team Timeout : Regular
	01:24	Duncan Turnover : Offensive Goaltending (5 TO)
	01:24	Parker Foul : Personal Take (2 PF)
Rondo Free Throw 1 of 2 Missed	01:24
Team Rebound	01:24
Rondo Free Throw 2 of 2 Missed	01:24
	01:22	Duncan Rebound (Off:2 Def:11)
	01:16 [SAS 94-103]	Parker Layup Shot: Made (23 PTS)
	01:07	Parker Foul : Personal Take (3 PF)
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (10 PTS)	01:07 [BOS 104-94]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (11 PTS)	01:07 [BOS 105-94]
	00:56.8	Ginobili 3pt Shot: Missed
Pierce Rebound (Off:3 Def:8)	00:56.2
Garnett Jump Shot: Missed	00:33.8
	00:32.5	Parker Rebound (Off:0 Def:4)
	00:28.9 [SAS 97-105]	Jefferson 3pt Shot: Made (14 PTS) Assist: Parker (8 AST)
	00:26.7	Ginobili Foul : Personal Take (5 PF)
Allen Free Throw 1 of 2 (12 PTS)	00:26.7 [BOS 106-97]
Allen Free Throw 2 of 2 (13 PTS)	00:26.7 [BOS 107-97]
	00:17.9	Duncan 3pt Shot: Missed
Davis Rebound (Off:1 Def:7)	00:15.6
End of 4th Quarter

broadcast information
country		channel			time
usa			TNT	National	8:00 pm ET
		--	WOAI	Local	8:00 pm ET
		--	WEEI	Local	8:00 pm ET
canada			TSN2	national	8:00 pm ET