RECAP: Warriors 99, Celtics 89: A Christmas Special!
Thank you Santa for bringing Jackson back!
Wow, did I just miss the greatest game of the year? Did every single one of my predictions fall flat on my face? Is this an early April fool's joke?
Apparently not and from now on I'm going to predict Warrior losses so we can come away with a win. Last night had to mark the best game of the year. Playing a day after Christmas and against the world champions, no one gave us a shot in hell, but our beloved Warriors prevailed at the very end.
But how did we do it? Does Santa really exist? Did my letter reach him in time? Maybe I HAVE been a good boy this year. Thanks to Santa we got Jackson back, a determined Belinelli and a championship team who couldn't keep it together in the end. Let's find out why and how...
Jump:

This Santa always helps!
The Warriors beat the Boston Celtics last night at the Roaracle 99 to 89 ending their three game losing streak. ESPN's odd maker and analysts predicted only a 22% chance the Warriors could win. They were taking into consideration the Celtics were coming off a loss to the Lakers the night before and the Celtics wanted to get back on track. The Warriors were coming off a 2 day rest with the holidays but had a depleted team with Ellis, Maggette Crawford and Jackson injured. Things weren't looking too promising for us but our loyal fans pack the arena and prayed for a holiday surprise.
This is just too funny.
First half vs. Second half:
The game started off like we all believed it would. The Celtics hit most of their shots and had a 12 point lead at the half. Garnett and Pierce were having another strong performance but ended nowhere near what I thought they would do. Kevin scored only 14 and Pierce came away with only 21. Many could say they tired out at the end because of a back to back lose to the Lakers, but I believe they got complacent during the half with such a strong lead. You could tell right after the half they didn't push as hard and thought they had this game wrapped up.
The game really came alive in the second half when the Warriors closed the gap in the third to a Celtics 8 point lead. Then in the fourth when we saw the Celtics slowing down we hit them with a barrage of three pointers and clutch shots scoring 35 to their 17 and coming away with a 10 point victory. The crowd made all the difference and even Jackson commented after the game it felt like they were back in the playoffs for that one game.
Stephen Jackson:
One thing the Celtics didn't prepare for was that Captain Jackson was back from a hand injury. Jackson lifted our team and had one of those games that reminded us why we love him so much. Only he could have given us the spunk and attitude we needed to beat the best team in the league. I'm thinking with the rest of our starters coming back in January we might actually be a decent team. But for now we had to rely on Jackson catching on fire last night. Crashing the boards and setting up plays, Jackson commanded the ball and rallied the Warriors back in the fourth quarter scoring 28 points with 7 boards and 4 assists.
Yea ... I couldn't believe it either!
Marco Belinelli:
Taking advantage of his playing time due to our injured starters, Belinelli has had some great games in the past 2 weeks. Last night, we needed another one of those along side Jackson to beat up the Celtics. Marco did not disappoint with 22 points and 4 clutch three pointers. I'd like to see him keep the turnovers down but in the end I was happy to see Marco play well against Boston's big three. Playing practically the entire game without a rest he has drew up 4 assists and 2 steals. More importantly both Marco and Jackson hit all of their free throws going 11 for 11 which made a big difference.
In the end I'm happy to have to eat my own words and I'm sad I missed the game of the year, but seeing how our players showed heart with such an improbable win, this might be a great turning point for our season. Thank you Santa.
Warrior Wonder:
Captain Jackson. I will post the best comment on this recap from the first person who can tell me why Captain Jackson is the Warrior Wonder. I'll update once I read them.
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67 comments
Comments
Captain Jack
Is Warrior Wonder because he epitomized the spirit of our team. Two years ago it was the whole league saying we couldn’t win, and that Stephen Jackson was a bumthug, and he showed them. This year it was 90% of Warriors fans calling for a trade, and he didn’t say a word, just came out with one of the best Warrior performances of the year en route to the best Warrior win of the year.
Also, I love Crawfish in the last picture, rocking the baggy jeans and velvety looking jacket.
And since you didn’t mention it, let me give props to Turiaf for stepping up big time. He defended the middle like Dwight Howard, hit 10 of 10 free throws, and brought a ton of energy and toughness to the game.
by bradyk2 on
Dec 27, 2008 11:15 AM PST
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yeah where all the turiaf love? Homeboy had A GAME!!!!
by THIZZ-A-LOT on
Dec 27, 2008 12:25 PM PST
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Seriously
We may be a small team at heart, but you still need the big boys to pound the middle if you want the W.
by bradyk2 on
Dec 27, 2008 2:11 PM PST
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thats
what all the girls say
So I don't have a signature well these words would do! Who knew that upgrades can have downgrades too!
by 24k state fan since 87 on
Dec 27, 2008 4:21 PM PST
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Marco
Personally I think Marco drawing all the offensive fouls makes up for his turnovers.
by Darkness on
Dec 27, 2008 11:18 AM PST
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Let's not forget
He was getting the crowd fired up in the middle of the fourth during one of those “Make Noise” moments.
by ikai on
Dec 27, 2008 12:11 PM PST
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Sublymonal Advertising

Nike Just Do It
On a side note
Didn’t Bob say Corey was in LA rehabilitating his hamstring, he was right behind the bench…
If I am wrong i will respond with a D'Oh
by StephenO4 on
Dec 27, 2008 11:22 AM PST
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i didnt even know he was there till this picture, they showed JC, and monta last night, but i dont think they even showed maggs
by THIZZ-A-LOT on
Dec 27, 2008 12:27 PM PST
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hahah
i told you mannn
When Maggette missed those consecutive shots in a span of a humming bird’s flap,
Crawford simply looked at the bench and said, "Are you serious?"
by gorillas on
Dec 27, 2008 1:11 PM PST
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nvm that was
IQofaWarrior
When Maggette missed those consecutive shots in a span of a humming bird’s flap,
Crawford simply looked at the bench and said, "Are you serious?"
by gorillas on
Dec 27, 2008 1:13 PM PST
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Heh, yes that was me
I watched the end of the game again, I STILL didn’t seem him walk away at the buzzer.
by IQofaWarrior on
Dec 27, 2008 9:16 PM PST
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ha
that makes jim saying that plead to mags really funny and he said that to national tv haha.
So I don't have a signature well these words would do! Who knew that upgrades can have downgrades too!
by 24k state fan since 87 on
Dec 27, 2008 3:13 PM PST
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I thought NBATV had their own announcers?
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 7:58 PM PST
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no
nbatv just shows the feed of the other telecast but puts their own scoreboard on it. thats how they always do it
So I don't have a signature well these words would do! Who knew that upgrades can have downgrades too!
by 24k state fan since 87 on
Dec 27, 2008 11:31 PM PST
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ohh that's cool.
non-warriors fans got a taste of our broadcasters. lol.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 28, 2008 12:49 AM PST
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LOL
I thought Maggette wasn’t there either.
I think it was Jim that said it. I was like, “Yes! Finally someone calls him out and tells him we hella need him”.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 7:58 PM PST
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mannn
i missed the game cuz i was playing poker at a friends place! does anybody know where i can watch a replay of the game?!?! pleaseeeeeeee?
by lowchi on
Dec 27, 2008 11:27 AM PST
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Link for game
http://www.sport-scene.net/browse.php?search=warriors&cat=0 faetati posted this link on other thread. But its not uploaded yet maybe it’ll be soon.
by Darkness on
Dec 27, 2008 11:31 AM PST
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Captian Jax
I know a lot of people where hating the guy this year.
I never lost my faith in the guy because I knew, despite his limitation, the guy brings the intangibles. They could never win without him with this team. Its the exact opposite of Maggs and Crawford who are simply losers.
Better Love JAX because like him or not he is the only heart we got left.
Also I was wrong about Beli. I thought he was just not athletic enough for this league as I knew he wasn’t a pure shooter. I think its clear I was wrong. This kid has lots of athleticism and signs that he has the intangibles too.
by SFzig on
Dec 27, 2008 11:33 AM PST
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JAX
better with him, terrible without him.
by Dub4lif3 on
Dec 27, 2008 11:38 AM PST
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JAX
bad with him, worse without him.
by heavyccasey on
Dec 27, 2008 12:27 PM PST
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We won because of Monta.
Monta was at the Oracle Arena last night; his presence alone makes the team THAT good.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 11:40 AM PST
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Hella funny crowd yesterday
if you recorded it go to the 4th quarter when theres 51.1 secs left when they are about to inbound you here some fan say “hey paul pierce, you suck!” then some of the other crowd goes “ooooooooh” haha i thought that was funny.
by bojangles408 on
Dec 27, 2008 11:42 AM PST
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haha i have the game recorded.
i’ll look for that. there was a lot of funny stuff in that game.
There was something funny that happened between Scalabrine and O’Bryant during the game. I tried typing up what happened but I couldn’t explain it. oh well.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 11:48 AM PST
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someone on here said they kept hearing someone yell "Jesus" to Ray Allen
lol from that spike lee movie
by THIZZ-A-LOT on
Dec 27, 2008 12:29 PM PST
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Jesus Shuttlesworth
what a name.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 7:59 PM PST
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Some other stuff...
For some reason, (i’m going to sound like a fag for this) but mixed in with all my screaming during the game last night, was chuckling and laughter. I was going wild at that game, but at the same time I was laughing, because after all this is the Warriors we’re watching beating the Celtics. It was just hilarious seeing Marco Belinelli pwn those guys. We were playing without three of our 20 ppg players also.
In addition, the Stephen Jackson that I saw last night was the Stephen Jackson that i’ve been WAITING for all season. Many of you guys are like, “I never got mad at Jackson, I loved him all along”.
Sheesh, I was pissed as hell at Jackson all season until now. The reason why I loved him in that game is because he started playing his ROLE again. I was surprised that he wasn’t chucking up random three’s and bad shots earlier in the game (he’s been chucking all season long). He let Marco run the offense, and then when the time was right, Jackson started making the clutch shots that he’s known for.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 11:46 AM PST
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It's funny.....
That main post picture of Stephen Jackson.
I remember seeing him doing the “fist pumps in the air” thing towards the end of the game. The whole time I was like, “omg Jackson should do that longer! That would make for a great picture!”, and then when I saw flashes from the cameras I was hella excited, and knew I would see a picture of that on the front page of GSoM. hahaha.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 11:51 AM PST
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thank you
even better it was on nbaTV.=D santa IS real!
Oracle Arena is a sperm bank where we get our comeback.
by protac6 on
Dec 27, 2008 12:07 PM PST
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No I don't see it happening.
Monta is out till January now.
And + it’s not an upset considering we are good against them, just like it wasn’t an upset against Dallas a few seasons ago.
Hasheem "The Dream" Thabeet or Brandon Jennings. A Warrior in 09.
With the 6th Pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, the SF Giants pick Donovan Tate.
Andre Smith in Silver & Black in 2009.
by ejdacanay on
Dec 27, 2008 12:36 PM PST
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r u dumb?
we are missing monta and crawford…how are we ‘good’ against them?
we were good against them with ellis baron jack combo…we had none of them
it was a HUGE upset this game, dont even try to play it down, GTFO
by DeepS on
Dec 27, 2008 12:39 PM PST
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Considering we won 5 in a row at home against Boston
I do consider that we are a better team then Boston at home. Last year, when we did upset them Jackson was injured, and the years before that we didn’t have Ellis or Jackson there. So, yes I do definitely think that we own Boston at home.
Hasheem "The Dream" Thabeet or Brandon Jennings. A Warrior in 09.
With the 6th Pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, the SF Giants pick Donovan Tate.
Andre Smith in Silver & Black in 2009.
by ejdacanay on
Dec 27, 2008 1:39 PM PST
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ur dumb.
dont try to diminish the win like that
we were completely undermanned this game, it had nothing to do with magically being better than them at home? thats just dumb.
by DeepS on
Dec 27, 2008 2:00 PM PST
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Yea, I guess I am dumb?
lol.
Hasheem "The Dream" Thabeet or Brandon Jennings. A Warrior in 09.
With the 6th Pick in the 2009 MLB Draft, the SF Giants pick Donovan Tate.
Andre Smith in Silver & Black in 2009.
by ejdacanay on
Dec 27, 2008 2:06 PM PST
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I think he meant
It was an upset, but the style that the Warriors play has always matched up well against the Celtics.
I’ve never been worried about playing against the Celtics (since they got their big 3). The Warriors showed swagger against them every time they played them. Also, the Celtics have shown in a couple of their previous games that they have trouble against athletic teams that score a lot. But with the Warriors and Celtics..
GS @ Boston last season:
Warriors lost, but did fairly well considering the fact that they were without Barnes and Harrington.
Boston @ GS last season:
Warriors beat the Celtics without Stephen Jackson. The Warriors also didn’t hit a three pointer in that game either.
GS @ Boston this season:
We had a damn 17 point lead against them, but it was probably inexperience that caused our team to blow the lead.
Boston @ Golden State this season:
Boston lost by double digits by a Warriors team who was missing three of their 20ppg players.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 8:05 PM PST
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Here's "Celtics Defense" at its best:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/yuri1970/3140830122/
— No foul called here.
And a playbook offensive “screen”
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=garnett2C20belinelli&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&sa=N&tab=wv#
Again, no foul called.
Garnett is a punk beez.
by Nuck Chorris on
Dec 27, 2008 12:58 PM PST
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Beans drives
The commentators showed a replay of a beans drive where (KG?) totally got his arm and it wasn’t called. Lots of examples of that.
by mosdl on
Dec 27, 2008 1:56 PM PST
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maybe
garnett and the league hate italians?
So I don't have a signature well these words would do! Who knew that upgrades can have downgrades too!
by 24k state fan since 87 on
Dec 27, 2008 3:19 PM PST
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Thanks for that
I have lost all respect for KG now. Hell if they play the Lakers in the finales again this year I will actually root for the Lakers (how sad is that).
by qin on
Dec 27, 2008 5:11 PM PST
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To be fair
That picture was taken when Belinelli got fouled on a drive. The play was already over and Garnett was only trying to hold down Belinelli when he was in the air.
Don’t get me wrong, I still think KG is a punk. He did a lot of pussy plays in that game.
by Five Ten Entertainment on
Dec 27, 2008 8:16 PM PST
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Not to mention
Staring down CJ Watson.
What a joke. CJ almost had a better game than Garnett, and he drained 2 important jumpers.
by Nuck Chorris on
Dec 27, 2008 1:01 PM PST
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+1
CJ came through with 2 amazing jump shots when we needed them.
What I really liked was that it wasn’t just one player closing the game – the entire team came in and finished together – sjax/marco with threes, turiaf with his fts, cj with the jumpers, and everyone with defense.
by mosdl on
Dec 27, 2008 1:55 PM PST
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That game was intense!!!!
I was 15 rows up for that game and I must say I did not see any of that coming. Some of my thoughts on the game:
1. Stephen Jackson played like he played last year. I credit this to the way he was used in the game. He was not the point forward (except for 2 minutes in the 3rd) Not being the distributor made him fall back into spot up shooting and tough defense. He did a great job on Pierce (despite pierce’s 21)
2. Marco Belinelli was a key to this win. He was like a fly on defense. You could not take yuor eye off of him becuase he was making plays on both sides of the court. He pissed off Ray Allen and got him fouled out with 7 minutes to play. He got to his spots and got offensive foul after offensive foul calls. He was great. Also I know he has been waiting for a coulpe years now to be center court pumping up a roarcle crowd… props to him.
3. Ronnie- Clutch free throws, great defense on KG. This man had to be the other factof in our win. Although he did not get 10 blocks… he was a stopped on defense and KG felt it. Capt. Ronnie was the man
4. Nellie- Thank you Nelli for settling down and coaching. For the first time all year he look animated and it was fun to see him.
The Roaracle————> This game showed the fans, the team, and the coaches what it is like when you compete. crawford said it best. “That was Crazy”. It brought back playoff flashbacks and hopefully that feeling can spark the team
by shooter1525 on
Dec 27, 2008 3:02 PM PST
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yee
watching the game again on csn…
When Maggette missed those consecutive shots in a span of a humming bird’s flap,
Crawford simply looked at the bench and said, "Are you serious?"
by gorillas on
Dec 27, 2008 3:05 PM PST
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me too, still pissed at the Turiaf offensive foul call. Eff Scalabrini
woulda been and 1
by THIZZ-A-LOT on
Dec 27, 2008 4:20 PM PST
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My Dads first ever NBA game!
Took my father to his first ever NBA game and it was a beast!!!!!!!!!
He watched a few of my games at college and so has the basics of basketball down pretty well, but BBall is not huge in Northern Ireland where he grew up, but he did want to see Boston beaten!!
I told him about the atmosphere sometimes, and tried to explain what was so exciting at times in the Oracle, but to be honest, I didnt think we would get anywhere near close to the playoff atmosphere.
OH MAN!!! I could not have wished for a better game for him to see…..that 4th quarter was electric!
Amazing game and his favourite player of the game was Marco Belinelli, he thought he was superb! I personally thought we saw the “best” of Stephen Jackson, but for me, my favourite player is becoming Ronny Turiaf, so much so, I have just ordered his shirt!
For me, he and Belli are proving everything it means “TO BE A WARRIOR”, hustle, fight, chase, defense, they gave it everything they had and to see Marco pump the crowd from centre court, shows how well he is settling into this team.
I believe we might just be at a turning point and I dont think Maggette fits for the future, in fact I would sit him for the the next month to properly heal and see how how he does once we get Monta back. Which is another story. I remember saying I thought Monta may be back earliest Jan 14th and many were “poo pooing”, but now it may even look like February.
But back to the game……truly a great game and Thank YOU Warriors for giving the effort and fight to show one of my parents why I have become such a die hard fan for this team.
Next up….its my mothers turn…to watch the Toronto game!! Hopefully she brings the same luck my father did!!!
GO WARRIORS!!
It's about heart, It's about fight, It's about being a Warrior!
by BritWarriorGSW on
Dec 27, 2008 3:31 PM PST
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word
got a little shivers when thinking about your pops first game, i can relate. Thats way cool man, glad we got another fan in your dad!
I am Greg Oden, i am goingz to be trade to The Warrior. hoooray.
Warriors for life. Raiders till death. And The A's when i get free tickets.
by STIX on
Dec 27, 2008 4:26 PM PST
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yay
I was soooo happy when the warriors won….that was one of the best games of my life!
by brittanystar07 on
Dec 27, 2008 5:26 PM PST
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east coast
I stay up watching every game whenever I am lucky enough to have one of the national stations televise a warriors game and it has not been worth it this year until this game. This reminded me why I love the Warriors. They did their name justice and fought even when they were down for the majority of the game.
Jax was doing what he should do. Shoot threes, play good defense, and lead the crowd and the team to where never meant to happen, happens. He even boarded in some tense situations. Could not be prouder of my favorite Warrior.
Ronny and Belli get big props.
The more you think about it, the bigger the upset. Boston looking to get back on track. No Monta, Mags, or Crawf. Beans in foul trouble for the whole game. This was a win a from the heart and Jax is the basis for that. Some teams can get all the talent they want but you can’t teach heart. Heart will lead this team far in the future. How far in the future is hard to tell with all the insecurities high above.
Warriors, Niners, Giants, Sharks, Trojans, Canes, Japan, Gunners
by JJ19151 on
Dec 27, 2008 5:36 PM PST
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Maggs
Just rewatched the game, and saw that maggs (not in the picture very often in the telecast because he was in the 2nd row) did high five some people in the last few mins of the game. He was also clapping and standing.
by mosdl on
Dec 27, 2008 9:17 PM PST
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not like hes a bad guy, or a supporter of his team
he just doesnt fit the team as far as a player goes…not surpirsed he was happy with the game.
on a side note….it was good to see monta out there for the first time, he must be really eager to come back after seeing that game (his first game in person this season)! i hope he just doesnt rush it and comes back at 200% and owns everyone in the league with his speed and shoots better from the field than he did last feb
by DeepS on
Dec 27, 2008 11:40 PM PST
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Belinelli
Did it seem like the Celts were trying to thug Beli? I think they targeted him as a weak link and tried to intimidate him. Beli gets lots of respect from me after that game. He was getting picked hard and, no, that wasn’t just Euro acting going on out there. KG trying to take out his frustrations on Beli late in the game and then walking off the court without acknowledging any of the Warriors was classless. The guy is sinking deeper and deeper on my sh*t list.
I pray i never have to use a gun again...
...unless i'm at a strip club parking lot...
...and somebody tries to run me over with their car...
...But how often does that happen??
by ssmokinjoe on
Dec 28, 2008 1:44 AM PST
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Yes, I rewatched the game today
to see if Marco flopped or not. He wasn’t flopping. The Celtics gave Marco some hard screens. A few times, he got the offensive foul call against the Celtics. A couple of times, it was KG himself who set the hard screen. KG was called once for pushing Marco down before the ball was inbounded, and the replay showed that it was an obvious call. So yes, it did look like the Celtics wanted to push Marco around.
Meanwhile, Marco really was playing aggressive, pestering defense. He deserves to stay out there when Monta, Crawford, and Maggette gets healthy.
by IQofaWarrior on
Dec 28, 2008 4:28 AM PST
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here here
I concur
"Maybe I need somebody that can save me from the parts of myself that keep making me crazy" -Slug-
by drizztismoneybaby on
Dec 28, 2008 6:11 AM PST
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I hope Marco is holding up
he took so many hits that game. The Celts did want to push Marco around to get him agitated since he scored 11 and played well in the third.
Also I love how Turiaf played in that game.
As for turning point? maybe when Ellis comesback….Maggs? I do not know
Also I believe there was some no calls against the warriors during the 4th but it’s about time the refs get on our side!
I will always be your fan JRich. Good Luck
by chili01 on
Dec 28, 2008 11:58 AM PST
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lol ya
refs in the 4th were actually fair…in teh first 3 quarters…wow such bad calls…i dont see how beans can contain himself every game when the refs are making such blatant terrible calls involving him (did u see the sequence with rando hacking him and getting no call, then on the other end rondo getting a call for nothing)
beans has ridiculous patience
by DeepS on
Dec 29, 2008 11:57 AM PST
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