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Celtics run out of steam in loss to Bobcats 02.11.13 at 9:39 pm ET
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An exhausted Celtics team, coming off a triple-overtime triumph over the Nuggets on Sunday night, ran out of steam down the stretch in Charlotte on Monday night, falling 94-91. The loss halted Boston’s season-long winning streak at seven games.

The Celtics entered the fourth-quarter down by three, but managed to surge ahead by four late in the fourth quarter. However, the Bobcats bounced back with a late 7-0 run that included a 20-foot jumper by Ramon Sessions from the top of the key with 25 seconds remaining to give the Bobcats the a 92-91 lead. After a missed 3-point attempt by Kevin Garnett, Kemba Walker hit a pair of free throws to put Charlotte up by three. Paul Pierce and Avery Bradley then missed potential game-tying 3-point attempts in the waning seconds of the game to seal the Celtics’ first defeat since losing Rajon Rondo.

Byron Mullens led Charlotte with 25 points and 18 rebounds. Jeff Green led the Celtics with 18 points, while Kevin Garnett delivered a double-double, scoring 16 and collecting 13 rebounds. Paul Pierce, meanwhile, scored 13 with eight boards and eight assists.

In the loss, Celtics guard Leandro Barbosa suffered a non-contact injury to his left knee in the third quarter that required him to be carried into the Celtics locker room. He did not return.

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  • Sicko

     It would have been fantastic to win this game after last night’s
    marathon with the All Star break right around the corner. Just a tough
    shooting night all around by the starters(Bass only took 7 shots) but
    man I thought they had this game when they were up by 4 with a minute
    and a half left. Huge game on Wednesday to see exactly how this club
    matches up with teams ahead of them but within reach.

    • Fab4ever

      Spa nked!!!! Wait, I didn’t mean that…right. I know; When I played against Vinny DelNegro in high school…um, nope. OK, I got it…Had Trader Danny not gotten rid of Perk and Big Al…darn it…I think I’ve got a “Krust-like” flu….OK, Rondo isn’t a point guard, him and the dumb assist record….OK, I need some Advil.

      • Sicko

         Lol, man I really think you miss the “krust man”. In a weird way I too miss his constant idiotic comments. The problem is his rants always took things to a much too personal level.

        • Fab4ever

          It’s one thing to have a bonafide opinion..the taunts & threats were another thing entirely…As far as the C’s go, in some weird bizzaro world moment, I kind of expected this letdown of sorts…I think we have to come to some logical conclusion that maybe the team isn’t quite as good as a 7 game win streak would lead us to believe and we certainly are much better than the Bobcats despite a loss….The Rondo thing is interesting..I’m listening to some who say Rondo, despite his court savvy, didn’t always do the best job of distribution, hence Ray Allen’s frustration of working his arse off to get open only to have Rondo NOT pass him the ball…We’re now seeing guys like Green working hard and getting the ball…and making plays….We know what Rajon brings and it’s too bad he’s gone…it also coule be that the C;s are finally gelling with all the new guys…but we cannot expect them to go far without Rondo…at least I don’t think so….

          • Sicko

             Yeah, great points and I agree the ball is moving a lot better. I just don’t like putting all the past problems on Rondo and letting the new guys off the hook. Playoff time is when they will really miss him when the opposing defenses step up their games. I remember a few year ago the Celts had issues in the playoffs even advancing the ball over half court when Rondo was sitting.

            Games like tonight just happen once in a while. Look at the Pats losing to Arizona at home this year.

  • Titletown1

    Actually, I think they were up by 5 with 1:33 left.

    But no excuses, in order to be competitive, you have to knock over the tomato cans on your schedule; and the Bobcats are a full fledged, no kidding, completely empty tomato can.

    The Celts were fine playing an up tempo game, but when they slowed it down to a half court game going to Pierce, it killed them. There are times they just look out of synch and sometimes just plain tired. Oh well, it’s an 82 game grind.

    • Sicko

       Nope it was 91-87.

      • Sicko

         With the ball and then Garnett missed that jumper.

  • Lack_of_titles_in_town

    Barbosa’s injury is the one that put a nail in the coffin.  Celtics can not make trades and they lose a player that could break down an offense when the team got stagnant.  $on of a B!tche$.

    • Ty

      The injuries on this team have gotten to a ridiculous level now. The Celtics won’t use the injuries as an excuse, but there’s no shame at this point in admitting that it’s gotten to the point where it’s going to limit this team’s potential.  It’s a shame.  Last year was pretty ridiculous too, and they still went a lot farther than people were expecting/predicting.  I love the fight and heart in this team, so no matter what happens, it’s still a pleasure to watch them grind it out.

  • Matty

    at least this team has one more game left before the all-star break. this team is running on fumes right now. and that ca n’t last forever.

  • Celtsfan

    This team’s biggest problem right now is 4th quarter scoring. If you start missing wide open jumpers late in the 4th, you gotta take it to the hole and try to draw a foul. Obviously they were tired after a winning a game that never should have gone to triple OT. It’s true that injuries are hurting us right now but this team still has some quality players, a great coaching staff, and plays well against adversity so I still think that they could make a run.

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