Boston 96 New York 92
This game was a lot closer than it should have been for no apparent reason. New York played a very decent ballgame on their home court, it just wasn’t enough to get the win. They beat the Cs in nearly every major statistical category, and their biggest victory was in Field Goals, with 87 Attempts to Boston’s 69. Boston’s saving grace? They took 43 Free Throws to the Knicks’ 14.
Isaiah is slowly getting back to normal, registering 18 Points off the bench, albeit on 4/13 Shooting. In one particular moment, he had a beautiful and-one on a made three-point attempt. Crowder continues his consistent bench play, with 17 Points and 9 Rebounds in 29 Minutes. Bass got a double-double (16 Points, 10 Rebounds) and E.T. keeps filling the statsheet, with 15 Points, 7 Rebounds, and 5 Assists.
Here’s a fun fact I learned recently: the only Celtics with at least two triple-doubles are Larry Bird, Antoine Walker, Paul Pierce, Rajon Rondo and Evan Turner. Way to go E.T.!
The Celtics aren’t known for their tenacity around the basket, but this game was the exception. Here’s a quick glimpse at the guys who led the way in free-throw attempts:
- Bass: 8/10
- Isaiah: 8/9
- Jae Crowder: 7/8
- Turner: 5/7
Olynyk, Bradley and Smart also had trips to the charity stripe. Boston had many turnovers and the Knicks played better defense, but the Cs still found a way to win by putting themselves in the right position. They’ll need to tighten up the ball security and play with better pace, an issue that carried over from their last loss against Miami.
As Brad recently noted, the Cs have 10 games left to play, all of which are against teams either headed to the postseason or fighting for a spot. In his words, it should be “fun.” Boston sits half a game above Brooklyn for the 8th and final spot in the East. They’re going to have their hands full tonight with the Clippers, but they’ll also be in Boston. If they want to have a chance in this one, they’ll have to play leaps and bounds better than they did against the league-worst Knicks. The Clippers are playing great basketball, and the Blake Griffin/DeAndre Jordan frontcourt is going to be a nightmare.
Where there’s a will there’s a way, and Boston most certainly has a will.
Clips on Sunday.
Homer Johnsen is a freelance writer and resource specialist for the Boston Celtics. During the offseason he runs multiple dehumidifiers and filters the collected water for player consumption during practices. His Celtics reactions and water purification guide are accessible right here on HeresTheDealLikeShaquille.
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