Game Thread #68: San Antonio Spurs vs Boston Celtics

Breakdown

• Point Guard - I guess I'd better explain the nicks, because otherwise it's going to be on my head. Stampler's brilliance is sometimes unfairly overlooked, like in his previous job (and in the comments section of his posts....). But it's there, and he's simply one of the best players in the game. ...And I have to admit the irony of picking Tony for him was just too big to pass. ("Turki McWonderbutt"?) I picked tomasito for Rajon Rondo because he came through for PTR with his great fanpost about the get-together / road trip, but really, there're many talented posters in this site I could've mentioned.
• Off Guard - SiMA is just crazy, and as likely to take an off-balance shot as as he is to win you a game with those clutch brass balls of his. Ahno, wait, that's Roger Mason. Same difference. Since Marbury got to the Celtics they've lost 4 players and lost 5 or 6 games, so I just couldn't resist the dig at adam. ...I'm sorry... Don't look at me like that, bell.... (To prove that Marbury's not all bad, check this out. And I apologize for linking to my blog in a shameless plug, but I don't feel like writing it all again. Stephon is not that bad at all - much like adam.)
• Center - I'm not saying ATS is the best PF of all time, but he's the guy that kept PTR going in the offseason, while Stampler and Matthew were away, and he really is a solid member of this site, chipping away at that boulder day in and day out. I wuv you, man... sniff. And Perkins is KA1Z3R because as annoying as he can be (and I mean your sig, Kai, which sucks the life out of me every time you post twice in a row), he's got definite potential and has really done good things for Boston ever since KG got injured. Er... replace Boston with Pounding the Rock - these comparisons are getting away from me. So Kai, stay strong, and trim that freakin' sig, please.
• Power Forward - bellasa (like CapHill, Lauri, surfer, and carina when she's around) is the heart of the site. Also, I always pictured her as a redhead, for some reason. I picked myself for Glen Davis because I didn't want to offend anyone (other than adam, I guess). Glen sucks.
  
• Small Forward - ATS is great, but he's also old as dirt. Like Finley. And he likes to yell "Findog". Yeah. And Hipuks is simply Paul Pierce: he's a great player, as talented as anyone else and a joy to watch when he's on. But he's also dangerous.
• Bench - Chilai, pollackj, bones, Hamer, SinCity, big50, rick21, DennardC, Rand, CMoney (hanging from a helicopter), davis, ptruser, W40, raynor, wanga, TDZila, dfj, Lion, SRF, rikiddo, alam? That bench's got to be better than whatever the Celtics have left. Eddie House should be starting, though... (That was off the top of my head, so I apologize for any snubs.)
• Coach - Matthew is the perfect Pop. I don't think I should even bother explaining why... But most of what we have, we owe it to Pop. I'm giving him the edge against just about anyone.
• Intangibles - The Celtics are on a very short rotation, and Tim got to rest for 3 days. I like our chances.
• Mojo - Did I mention Marbury plays for the Celtics? Or that Manu dunked?
• Winners - Hopefully, us. But it won't be easy. If we win, though, we'll actually sweep the season series with them, and we'll be that much closer to getting HCA.

Keys To The Game

• Bonner - He's been off his game for a while now, mainly when it comes to his shot. He's defended well, and grabbed some rebounds, but he needs to knock down the open Js, or we'll be in trouble.
• 3-pt % - For a team with the best percentage from beyond the arc, we've sure sucked lately. It's not just Bonner's fault, too - other than during the 3rd quarter of the 'Wolves game, Roger has missed many open threes. ...And he's also missed his usual crazy lean-to-the-side half-court shots.
• Seeding - The Rockets are playing well, and Yao is an absolute beast. (He looks it too, here.) I want us to finish second, so we need to start winning more than losing.

Some other reading

Celtics fans have two great blogs available, and they have the most imaginative names ever:

Celtics Blog (SB Nation blog. Solid, and makes us look unprofessional and hackish. What else is new?)
Celtics Hub (TrueHoop network blog. Good writers, and oh-so-professional. What happened to fansites done by lazy, uninformed fans? Geez.)

Other things of possible interest

• Walken Tweets - I personally don't care if it's real. But just in case, don't talk to Lauri.
• Drums - Most effective when you're drunk.
• Book - I would read it. Seriously.
• If you have to - That's one way to go. (Banned?)
• /b/ - Comes up with the weirdest crap. But this is real.
• Stimulus - Do you have $200K to spare? He has Macross figures!
• Blue hole - I swear this is SFW.
• idaft - When memes get out of hand.
• Barber shops - This is probably the creepiest one ever.
• Dog sledding - Some amazing pictures linked by Hipuks. This whole site is full of great pics you should see.

Game feeds

Check this game thead at gametime for specific links to good quality feeds. If you arrive late in the game, there game feed links are usually among the first 50 posts of the thread.

Recap: Stampler's recaps are solid, and keep us in the game. ...Much like Tony Parker does for the Spurs. Tee-hee!