Blog.WBRU

The Boston Celtics played a preseason game last night at the Dunk against LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers. They won, 96-94, on two Leon Powe free throws in the final minute. The Big 3 for the Celtics only saw playing time in the first quarter, and LeBron James was done after the first half, but it was still a treat to watch the defending world champions here in Providence.

The Other Allen - Tony Allen played 13 more minutes than any other player last night and scored a game-high 25. He was 13/16 from the free throw line, making it to the charity stripe often because of his aggressive drives to the hoop.

Big Foul Trouble Baby - Glen “Big Baby” Davis needed only 16 minutes to foul out with 6 fouls. Coach Rivers told reporters after the game that Davis was trying to play over his head and wasn’t playing within the system.

Here and There - Danny Ainge made the trip down to Providence. So did Lucky, the Celtics mascot. Both Kendrick Perkins and Sam Cassell were not dressed for the game. And for the Cavs, three players were not with the team: Sasha Pavlovic, Eric Snow, and Delonte West.

Playing Hard - Only a preseason game? The Celtics were not holding their effort back. On the first play of the game, Paul Pierce leaped out of bounds to save the basketball, which led to a fastbreak with Ray Allen feeding an alley-oop lay-up to Kevin Garnett. Pierce also made a great diving play on the court for a loose ball later in the quarter, and Glen Davis had a scary moment in the second quarter when he plowed into the scorer’s table.

Welcome to Boston - Just one game, but here is how some of the new guys stacked up.

• Bill Walker, the rookie out of Kansas State, looked like he will be a talent. He showed athleticism and heart, fighting for rebounds and put-backs.
• Patrick O’Bryant reminded me of a poor man’s Bill Cartwright. He has a similar style and build. He was much slender than I anticipated, but was surprisingly solid both defensively and rebounding.
• Darius Miles played less than four minutes, but seemed rusty and nervous.
• J.R. Giddens, the rookie out of New Mexico, played well. He made a very athletic block on a Cavs 3-point shot and then saved the ball by batting it off a Cavs player before it went out of bounds.

- Jeff & Mac