Celtics-Warriors Preview

By NOEY KUPCHAN
Posted Dec 29 2012 2:57AM

After kicking off a four-game trek with a much-needed win Christmas Day, the Boston Celtics saw their road woes resume their last time out.

They're likely to have their hands full again with a visit to the Bay up next.

The Celtics try to avoid falling below .500 for the first time in seven weeks Saturday night as they visit a Golden State Warriors team that continues to turn heads.

Boston (14-14) entered Tuesday having dropped five straight and seven of eight in opposing arenas before handily beating Brooklyn 93-76. The Celtics, though, got all they could handle two nights later in a 106-77 rout at the hands of the surging Los Angeles Clippers, who held a 42-26 edge in the paint and scored 26 points off 18 turnovers.

"Right now, they are a better team than us - that is the way they play," Boston's Jason Terry told the Clippers' official website. "So for us it is not something to be frustrated about, we just have to move forward and keep grinding. Last game we did some great things and (Thursday) it wasn't so great."

Kevin Garnett had a team-high 16 points while Paul Pierce scored 12. Terry and Rajon Rondo added 10 apiece on a combined 8-of-22 shooting.

"Every individual on our team wanted to beat them and every individual tried to do it by themselves instead of just playing our game," said coach Doc Rivers, whose team hasn't been under .500 since it was 2-3 on Nov. 9.

The Celtics are seeking a fourth consecutive win in this series after pulling out a 105-103 road victory March 14 behind Garnett's 20-foot jumper with seven seconds left. Boston has posted back-to-back wins at Golden State (20-10) after dropping 12 of its previous 14 there.

While some have been hesitant to jump on the Warriors' bandwagon, they're looking more and more like the real deal. Two nights after winning 94-83 at Utah, Golden State beat Philadelphia 96-89 to improve to 13-4 over its last 17 games Friday.

David Lee led the way with 25 points and 12 boards for the Warriors, who outrebounded the 76ers 52-43 and limited them to 40.2 percent shooting.

"We've been consistent whether we are home or on the road," coach Mark Jackson said. "We play with an edge, we play with a belief, and now our job is just to chalk them up in the win column. Mission accomplished tonight."

This is the first time since 1980-81 that the Warriors have compiled 20 wins before New Year's Day.

"We're just trying to make our own history here," Lee told the league's official website. "The biggest thing is that our team is doing this together and we're continuing to get better and better. I don't think our best ball's even been played yet."

The Warriors continue to thrive on the defense end of the court. Golden State is 15-1 when holding foes to 98 points or fewer and has posted a 43.1 opponent field-goal percentage to rank fifth in the league.

The Warriors will surely try to add to Pierce's recent woes. The 10-time All-Star is averaging a team-high 20.2 points but has put up a combined 20 in his last two games while going 8 for 23 (34.8 percent) from the field.

Pierce is averaging 24.9 points versus Golden State since the start of 2000-01 - tied for his second-highest mark against any team over that stretch.

Warriors whip short-handed Celtics 101-83

By ANTONIO GONZALEZ
Posted Dec 30 2012 1:57AM

OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) What a December to remember for the Golden State Warriors.

Stephen Curry had 22 points and nine assists, David Lee scored 20 points and the Warriors whipped the short-handed Boston Celtics 101-83 on Saturday night to close out a memorable month.

Golden State (21-10) finished December with a 12-4 record and has at least 20 wins before New Year's Day for the first time since 1980.

"What more is there to say?" Lee said. "Happy New Year."

First-round pick Harrison Barnes added 15 points and eight rebounds to help Golden State build a 20-point lead in the second quarter and cruise most of the way. The Warriors tied the 1961-62 team - when the franchise was still in Philadelphia - with 12 wins in December.

"The bottom line is it's been a great year for us," Warriors coach Mark Jackson said. "2012 has been real good to us. We will put it behind us and now look forward to doing great things in 2013."

The Celtics, meanwhile, are hardly ringing in the new year in style.

Courtney Lee had 18 points and five rebounds starting in place of Rajon Rondo, who was a late scratch for Boston because of a bruised right thigh and hip. Celtics coach Doc Rivers said Rondo will be a game-time decision at the Sacramento Kings on Sunday night, but he was far more concerned about the team's horrendous shooting and offensive flow.

Paul Pierce finished with 13 points on 4-for-20 shooting, Jason Terry scored 13 points on 6-for-19 shooting and both were taken out with 4:19 remaining and the game well out of reach.

The Celtics (14-15) have lost six of eight to fall below .500 for the first time in almost two months. Combined with Thursday night's 106-77 loss at the Los Angeles Clippers, Boston has been outscored by 47 points the last two games.

"We got to figure out who we want to be," Pierce said. "Do we want to be a defense-first team? If we're not going to be a defensive team, we got to be a better offensive team. It's got to be something. We still got to find our way."

After beating the Philadelphia 76ers at home Friday night, the Warriors continued to pound Eastern Conference competition. Golden State outshot Boston 51 to 36 percent from the floor, the lowest an opponent has shot against them all season.

The Warriors also had a season-high with 10 blocked shots - five by rookie Festus Ezeli - and improved to 13-2 against the East this season.

And this one wasn't even close.

Curry shook off the double teams the Celtics threw his way on most pick-and-rolls and found Lee and others for easy dunks. At one point, the Warriors scored 11 straight and later took a 19-9 lead that got Rivers ranting and raving at his players to pick up the intensity.

After the Celtics started to close the gap, Jackson switched to the three-guard lineup of Curry, Klay Thompson and Jarrett Jack. The trio shredded Boston's depleted backcourt, with Curry and Thompson each connecting from beyond the arc to cap a 21-7 run that gave Golden State a 50-30 lead late in the second quarter.

"This was huge," Curry said. "You're just trying to keep the momentum going."

The Celtics simply had no rhythm offensively and no pressure defensively without Rondo, the three-time All-Star point guard who had started the first 24 games this season. Rivers said Rondo was hurt at the Clippers but doesn't think the injury is anything serious.

Pierce's 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter highlighted a brief burst that brought Boston to 78-70. The highlights for the Celtics ended there, with the Warriors' swarming Boston defensively to build back a 22-point lead.

"We got to keep working at this," said Celtics forward Kevin Garnett, who had 6 points and three rebounds in 23 minutes. "This is where you start to see who's with you. This is when you see who really wants it, who really wants to get down and work and grind for it. We're about to find it out."

NOTES: SG Leandro Barbosa is expected to rejoin the Celtics at Sacramento after missing four straight games for personal reasons. ... Boston fell to 5-10 on the road. ... Raiders WR Jacoby Ford was among those in attendance.

Notebook: Warriors 101, Celtics 83

Geoff Lepper, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Dec 30, 2012 2:04 AM - Updated Sun Dec 30, 2012 2:04 AM

THE FACTS: Stephen Curry had 22 points and nine assists and the Golden State Warriors improved to a league-best 13-2 against Eastern Conference opposition with a 101-83 win against the Boston Celtics on Saturday.

David Lee collected 20 points on 10-for-15 shooting from the floor, helping the Warriors shoot 52.1 percent as a club. Golden State went 12-for-19 on 3-pointers for a season-best 63.2 percent.

The Warriors (21-10) tied a franchise record -- set in 1961 -- with their 12th win in the month of December, despite playing for a second consecutive night.

Boston could not make do without All-Star point guard Rajon Rondo, who did not suit up because of a bruised right hip and thigh. With Leandro Barbosa (personal reasons) and Avery Bradley (shoulder surgeries) unavailable, the Celtics had only two healthy guards -- Courtney Lee and Jason Terry -- in uniform. Courtney Lee scored a season high 18 points, but the Celtics were limited to 36.0 percent from the floor.

The Celtics (14-15) fell under .500 for the first time since Nov. 9.

QUOTABLE: "It's not as though we've had 25 home games or played non-playoff teams throughout. . . . A lot of the things that Warriors teams in the past have not done -- winning on the road, being able to play with the best teams in the league -- we've already proven those things wrong."
-- David Lee

THE STAT: Without Rondo's league-best 11.7 assists per game, the Celtics' offense was often a stagnant, static display, and that helped the Warriors -- who came into Saturday ranked next-to-last in the league at 3.77 blocks per game -- send away a season-high 10 Boston shots. Rookie Festus Ezeli notched a career-high five in just 21 minutes.

TURNING POINT: This one was all but sealed when Rondo was ruled out before the Celtics' morning shootaround. Kevin Garnett led the visitors with four assists, and Boston had only one assist -- from big man Brandon Bass -- during a 20-4 run bridging the first and second quarters that put the Warriors in command early.

GOOD MOVE: Lacking Rondo's wingspan to combat Curry, Boston tried to take away the Warriors' point guard with aggressive traps off of Golden State's pick-and-roll action from the opening tip. It didn't work, as he finished the first half with eight of the Warriors' 13 assists and Golden State took a 57-40 lead to the locker room.

QUOTABLE II: "Your job as a point guard and a playmaker is to take the double team and trust that somebody else on the floor will make a play. He made great reads. It's a compliment to Steph. When you trap a great point guard, what you're saying is, 'We believe that you can hurt us.'"
-- Warriors coach Mark Jackson

BAD MOVE: Curry and the Warriors got a little too careless with the ball in the third quarter. The point guard had three of Golden State's nine turnovers in that period, which Boston turned into 17 points. That allowed the visitors to cut their deficit to single digits entering the fourth quarter.

HOT: The Celtics' third-quarter rally was merely a cue for Jarrett Jack to enter the scene for another supporting role as the Warriors' crunch-time facilitator. Jack went 5-for-7 in the fourth period to account for 12 points and three assists. Golden State outscored Boston 25-16 to close the game out.

NOT: With the Celtics short on firepower, they needed a big game from Paul Pierce. What they got instead was first half in which the young Warriors wing players made him look every minute of his 35 years old. Pierce missed his first eight shots from the field, didn't score until the 2:57 mark of the second quarter and finished the half with five points, four rebounds and three fouls.

QUOTABLE III: "We gotta figure out who we want to be. Do we want to be a defense-first team→ If we're not going to be a defensive team, we gotta be a better offensive team. It's gotta be something. We still gotta find our way."
-- Paul Pierce

ROOKIE WATCH: Warriors forward Harrison Barnes stole some playing time from Klay Thompson with his strong performance, going 5-for-6 (3-for-4 from deep) to deliver 15 points and eight rebounds.

NOTABLE: Boston coach Doc Rivers said Rondo originally suffered his injury Thursday in Boston's drubbing at the hands of the Clippers, and that the three-time All-Star might be available Sunday against Sacramento, although no firm timetable for a return was released. . . . Barbosa missed his fourth consecutive game due to a personal matter, but he is expected to rejoin the team Sunday and be available against the Kings. . . . Garnett was held to single-digit scoring (six points) for just the third time this season.

UP NEXT: For the Celtics, Sunday @ Sacramento, Wednesday vs. Memphis, Friday vs. Indiana. For the Warriors, Wednesday vs. L.A. Clippers, Saturday @ L.A. Clippers, Wednesday vs. Memphis.

• Celtics: Melo, Wilcox
• Warriors: Bogut, Rush

• Celtics: --
• Warriors: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: ORACLE Arena, Oakland, CA
• Officials: #43 Dan Crawford, #59 Gary Zielinski, #66 Haywoode Workman
• Attendance: 19596
• Duration: 2:05