11/3 NBA Recap: The Birth of a Rivalry

That was the best game of basketball I've seen in a long time. Physical, close, and intense. I think the Celtics have a new rival in the Bucks. Here's today's NBA Recap.

The biggest story of the night was Paul pierce joining an elite group of 20,000 point scorers, becoming the 36th NBA player to do so. He is also the third Celtic to reach the group solely with the C's. Pierce has been the face of the franchise since his arrival in 1998, and will most certainly have his number retired among the greats in the rafters.


The game in which Pierce scored his 20,000th was an amazing game that you'll have to watch sometime if you missed it. It was a roller-coaster game for the Celtics; they started off strong, slowed down a bit, slowed down a lot, picked up the pace, dead even, then barely eking out victory. Rajon Rondo put up another 15 assists, breaking the record for assists after a team's first five games. He also put up 17 points. But it was the scorers,Pierce and Allen, who carried the team to victory, getting 28 and 23 points respectively. That is the great thing about this squad; if one person has an off-night, you have 3 other great players to pick up the slack. Not that anyone played terrible last night, but if someone has an off-game, there are other weapons to help.

And I think the Celtics now have another Eastern rival. The game was really physical, coming to a head when Andrew Bogus...oops, Bogut, shoved KG after KG slammed the ball for a dunk and got the foul call. We always play the Bucks close, but this was more than a close game; you could see the passion on both teams' faces toward the end of regulation, as both were hungry for victory. The Garden crowd was loud like it was a Finals game, chanting "Defense" as loud as can be on every defensive stand. It was a sight to see on TV or in person.

Elsewhere in the NBA:

-The Clippers finally won a game. Blake Griffin put up 18 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. But it was Eric Gordon who led the Clips to victory, putting up 27 points against a tough Thunder team. They held Kevin Durant to only 16 points and allowing him only 6-24 shooting, a terrible 25% from the field.

-Atalanta is still undefeated, thanks in part to Josh Smith's double-double (22 points, 11 rebounds.) They're the best in the East as of right now. Can they keep it up? Probably not, but they could easily be a sleeper to win it all.

-In "Free Kevin Love" news, Love finally got more than 25 minutes of playing time, getting 30 minutes, and putting up 22 points.

-Monta Ellis continues to put up crazy scoring numbers, putting up 39 points against the Grizzlies. The GSW only won by 6 against an improving Memphis team, in a game where Rudy Gay scored 35 points of his own.

- Don't look now, but Nawlins is pretty good this year, mostly because of Chris Paul. This could mean that Paul may look to stay in the Big Easy if the team garners success. Then again, he might want to play with his friends Amar'e and possibly Carmelo Anthony (if he ends up in NY) for the Knicks. The Hornets would be roasted, toasted, and burned to a crisp if Paul were to leave. Hey Seattle, perk up! You might get a team again in a few years!

MVP of the Night: Paul Pierce (you know the stats)