For a game that featured an ugly, sloppy and muddy first half, it sure finished with a lot of excitement. From KG's slam over Andrew Bogut leading to double technicals, to Paul Pierce breaking the 20,000 point plateau, it ended in thrilling overtime fashion. The Celtics came out on top of this one despite a gritty effort from a solid Milwaukee team to extend it as long as possible.
The Celtics looked like they were dead in the fourth when Ersan Illyasova drilled a late three. But the Celtics came roaring back to take a firm lead only to cough it up. Rajon Rondo missed a potential game winning jumper to send it to OT, where the Celtics prevailed on Pierce's perfect free throw shooting. Here are the highlights below.
Q1: The first quarter begins with live shots of Rondo and Pierce (with the Urkel glasses yet again) strolling into the Garden, ready to punch the clock. Other highlights include:
- Jermaine O'Neal wins the tip, the Rondo does his customary high bounce of the ball to get things started
- JO with some good defense in the post on Andrew Bogut
- JO taking a charge on Brandon Jennings that wasn't called, but it forced Jennings to fire the ball to the first row
- Pierce with a 24 second shot clock buzzer beating jumper
- Ray Allen with a jumper at the free throw line
- Good team post defense leading to a Ray Allen bank shot
- JO blocking Bogut
- Long bomb inbounds pass from KG to Rondo
- Tommy Heinsohn's thoughts about the KG/CV/tweeting issue
- Rondo to Pierce in the post
- Rondo blowing by Jennings firing a bullet to a cutting KG
- KG with a loud rebound, leading to Rondo blowing by Jennings again for a lay-up
- More good defense eventually leading to a Rondo jumper
- Pierce finding Ray for a quarter ending three
Q2: The second quarter begins with a beautiful live night shot of Boston's waterfront followed by a Von Wafer jumper. Other highlights include:
- Solid second unit defense
- Big Baby beating the 24 second shot clock buzzer with a jumper
- Ray with a floating jumper in the lane
- Big Baby hustling
- Textbook Ray Allen jumper off a curl
- A mini-clip celebrating 30 years of Mike & Tommy, featuring a highlight of Danny Ainge's career high 45 point game, with commentary from Ainge
- JO blocking Bogut, eventually leading to a KG low-post turn-around bank shot
- KG and JO having a block party down low
- Pierce finding Ray for three
- Rondo sneaking in with a lay-up
- Big Baby taking a charge
- Pierce draining a three
Q3: The ugly third quarter begins with Pierce, KG, JO and Ray Allen all getting aggressive with Bogut underneath the basket. Other highlights include:
- Rondo finding KG for the jumper
- JO with the baseline jumper
- Rondo with the recovery block on John Salmons
- Good defense leading to a KG lay-in
- Celtic defense forcing a rare 5-second inbounding violation on the Bucks
- Big Baby taking another charge, this time on Drew Gooden who seems to disagree
- Rondo with the nice drive but gets whistled for a questionable offensive foul
- Ray Allen hustling for the offensive board, then laying it in
- Superb 24 seconds of defense leading to a Milwaukee shot-clock violation
- Rondo finding Big Baby for the baseline jumper... twice
- JO keeping a possession alive, leading to a Rondo jumper
Q4: The fourth quarter begins with Rondo coasting the baseline for the lay-up. Other highlights include:
- A nice box-out by Semih Erden
- Semih taking a charge on Corey Maggette
- Ray pulling up for the jumper
- Rondo stealing the ball from Carlos Delfino then breaking out for a lay-up
- Rondo blowing by Keyon Dooling for the basket
- Rondo with a spin move in the lane, dishing it to Big Baby for another baseline jumper
- Big Baby working the baseline for two
- Ray drilling a baseline three
- KG's slam over Bogut, leading to the double technical
- Rondo with a rebound in traffic, then leading Pierce for the lay-up and 1
- KG fake, spin move and 1
- Rondo missing the potential game winning jumper
OT:The extra session begins with another nice drive by Pierce for two. Other highlights include:
- Jermaine O'Neal's clutch tip-in
- The Celtics forcing another 24 second shot clock violation, leading to a Maggette over-the-back offensive foul
- The Celtics defense forcing a Delfino bad pass in which Pierce picks off
- Pierce's free throws leading to his 20,000 points as a Celtic
- Marquis Daniels tipping away the Bucks last chance, sealing the win
- Greg Dickerson interviewing a very emotional Paul Pierce after the game, about his 20,000 points
