Heat Squeak Past Short Handed Celtics 88-85

The Celtics played well tonight but came up short as they lose to the Heat 88-85. The Celtics fielded only 8 players and every one of them played hard and almost pulled out the upset.

Powe was the player of the game in my opinion and won the Tommy Award. He got his first double double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, 2 steals and 1 assist and played some good defense in the paint. My favorite play of the game was a Powe steal and coast to coast drive for a dunk. Perk had trouble with Shaq in the first half, but he and Powe figured him out in the second half and held him to just 2 points. Perk finished with 4 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 blocks and he was a defensive presence in the paint.

Gomes showed a new facet to his game by hitting 4-5 from beyond the arc. Dickerson said that he has been working on extending his range and he showed it tonight. He finished with 24 points and 5 rebounds. Pinkney played only 9 minutes but still made his presence known with 1 rebound, 1 assist and 1 block. Green had a good game and finished with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block.

Rondo just continues to impress. He joined Powe with a double double finishing with 11 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 steal. Good things happen when he is on the floor. He is an excellent rebounder for his size. Telfair played 29 minutes and had 2 points, 3 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal. Ray started in place of the injured Delonte West and finished with 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 block.

This team gives short handed a new meaning. They could have just mailed it in because they were so short handed but they didn’t and nearly pulled out a win. With only 8 players, they played the defending champs, who are fighting for playoff positioning, evenly the whole game. In spite of being so short handed, we were only out rebounded by 1 and only lost by 3. Our young players are gaining experience and confidence game by game. This all bodes very well for next season.

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