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作者:
If this game was any indication, the Atlantic Division might already be a
wrap.
It's far too early for definitive statements, of course, but that's just how
incomplete the Toronto Raptors looked in losing to the Boston Celtics,
116-103, Friday night. That's because the Raptors were quite literally
defenseless, allowing 62.3 percent shooting while surrendering 68 points in
the paint.
But it was no mystery that the Raptors were a struggling defensive team. What
tonight did prove, however, was that winning the division would only be
meaningful to one of these teams.
"When have the Boston Celtics ever looked at the Atlantic Division?" Paul
Pierce (18 points) said. "We played with bigger goals."
After a first half which resembled pre-game warmups more closely than
competitive NBA basketball -- "buddyball" as Boston coach Doc Rivers called
it -- the Celtics made quite clear just how wide the gap is between the two
defenses.
"We wanted to start the third quarter with a lot of energy," Kevin Garnett
(12 points, six boards) said. "Defensively, we turned up the heat and that
was the difference in the game.
"As long as we have that energy defensively, I'm not going to bet against us
ever, ever ever."
Over a five-minute stretch in the third, beginning with Toronto up four, the
Raptors missed seven straight shots and committed four turnovers. Momentum
changed after a 42-second possession by Boston, when consecutive offensive
rebounds resulted in a Kendrick Perkins dunk and eventually a 13-0 run.
Toronto couldn't muster the defense to recover and the game was swung
permanently.
Taking advantage of Toronto's inability to defend the interior, Perkins went
a perfect 8-for-8 to score a season-high 18 points off both assisted dunks
and post-ups, allowing Toronto center Andrea Bargnani just seven points in
the process.
"We played them after they caught the ball instead of before they caught the
ball," Raptors coach Jay Triano said.
"Doc said this needed to be a real power game," Perkins said. "I thought, go
attack early. The only negative about this game is that we didn't really get
any stops, it wasn't the Celtics defense tonight."
As much as Boston has gotten caught up playing fast with the league's more
up-tempo teams, tonight they found themselves mimicking the opponent's
defense.
The Raptors had given up a league-worst 116.4 points per 100 possessions --
four points worse than the next closest team -- so nobody in their right mind
was expecting them to get much in the way of outright stops. But the Celtics
are held, rightfully, in high regard on that end, and took a little while to
warm up before the familiar script ran its course.
Depending on how you look at it, the first half was either a clinic on
scoring, or on how not to guard anybody. The Celtics shot 67 percent in the
half -- 83 percent at the end of the first -- while the Raptors made baskets
at a 66 percent clip. The difference was, Boston had 38 points in the paint
by halftime, as many as some teams average per game, to Toronto's 22 down
under. It was clear which team had a scoring drought coming.
"At halftime, I said, 'First team that plays defense wins,'" Rivers said.
Sure enough, with Boston's directions in hand, the Raptors wandered into the
desert just long enough to lose their grasp on the game.
Toronto did shoot 55 percent and had 48 points in the paint themselves, but
they were hollow offensive numbers, benefiting from the first half and a late
run that didn't even come close to coming close. Yet they are concerning
offensive numbers for Boston, stemming from inconsistencies that will be
tested with a four-game road trip beginning Sunday.
"Usually you come in the half and you shoot 67 percent, we should be up 10-15
points," Pierce said. "We're trying to put four quarters together instead of
stretches."
"Doc told us yesterday, not to get bored with the process and I'm glad he
rejuvenated that," Garnett said. "The mentality now is to take it game by
game."
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