The Celtics were able to protect the parquet and come away with yet another win at home. Tonight was their fourth straight win overall, and their ninth straight at home. The C’s beat the Heat 107-99.
This game seemed really boring to me, I guess the early start kept the fans out of it a bit. The Garden didn’t seem very loud to me. The first quarter was all Celtics, they came out firing and opened up a quick 10 point lead. That was the difference in the quarter, as the Celtics went into the second up 33-23. Things went back to normal as the Celtics slowed down before halftime as usual. Miami’s bench brought life to the team and had the game tied at the half. The Celtics came out of the break with a purpose, going on a quick 9-0 run to force Miami to call an early timeout. They continued their strong play for the rest of the quarter and built up a 19 point lead going into the fourth. Once again, Miami’s bench made the difference and cut the lead down to as little as 5. However, Kyrie was there to save the Celtics once again, scoring 6 quick points after being subbed in.
There was plenty to be happy about tonight, and also plenty to learn from. At the end of the day, the Celtics got an important win which is what really matters. Now it’s time to sit and watch to see if the Sixers drop one against Houston.
Starters Bring It
The Celtics were absolutely carried by the starters tonight. All five of them made solid contributions to the win. They combined for 78 of Boston’s 107 points against the Heat. The starters were also the reason for both of the leads that the Celtics built tonight.
Kyrie was doing everything out there to help the team get the win. He finished with 26 points, 10 assists, 8 steals, and shot 11-19 from the field. Like I mentioned earlier, Kyrie had 6 points in the fourth that helped to put the game away. The eight steals were a career high for Irving, as he helped bring the defensive intensity to the floor. Since coming to Boston, the defensive side of Kyrie’s game has improved so much. He’s always hustling and try to get extra possessions.
Speaking of hustling, Marcus Smart was another healthy contributor tonight. He may not have had a huge scoring night, scoring only 7, but his presence was felt. Smart finished as a +16, which believe it or not, was the lowest of all of the starters.
The highest was a +30 which belonged to Al Horford. Horford had another solid game. He finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Al was super efficient, making 8 of his 11 shots. The big man also earned the C’s some extra possessions. He pulled down 6 of the team’s 8 offensive rebounds. It’s good to see him back to being aggressive on the score sheet and the glass.
Marcus Morris came back to life tonight after going cold for the last few games. Mook finished the game with 17 points and shot 6-11. The key to his success tonight was the hot start that he got off to. Morris scored 9 points in the first quarter to not only get the team going, but to get himself going. Hopefully he’ll follow it up nicely on Wednesday against the Cavs.
Jayson Tatum was another guy that got off to a hot start. Tatum scored 8 of his 19 points in the first quarter. In the quarter, he shot 3-6 from the field, and 2-2 from deep. Tatum only missed 2 shots for the rest of the game, finishing the night shooting 8-13. JT gave Al some help on the glass, pulling down 6 boards of his own.
Altogether, the Celtics’s starters may have played their best game of the season. They certainly were the driving force behind tonight’s big win.
The Bench Did Not Bring It
Contrary to the starters, the bench really fell off tonight. They’d been playing pretty well as of late, but were the reason why this game finished as close as it did. They let Miami’s bench run all over them, allowing 66 points from the second unit.
The guys just didn’t bring it. There wasn’t intensity like there had been over the last game or two. Every single player off the bench was negative in +/-. If you exclude Ojeleye, who only played 6 minutes, all of them were negative by double digits. They’re not producing on offense and they’re letting the other team do just that. Three of Miami’s bench players hit double figures. No one off the Celtics’ bench was able to do the same.
It’s getting a bit worrisome. Something needs to change for the bench to start producing. The Heat were able to get back into the game twice because of how poor the bench was tonight. It’s time for the guys that have shown that they can play in the past to produce. Terry Rozier, Jaylen Brown, and Gordon Hayward all have to be better on a consistent basis. They’re all lacking energy. Once they find it the bench will be a force to be reckoned with.
250 Wins for Coach Stevens
Tonight was Brad’s 250th regular season win as the head coach of the Celtics. He’s now in his fifth season with the team, and has done a terrific job. Every single season he’s improved on the last, winning more games each year. In honor of his 250th win, I’ve put together his top 5 (regular season) games as the head coach of the Celtics.
5. November 9, 2013 at Miami
This was just Brad’s seventh game at the helm of the Celtics. They were down in Miami to play LeBron and the Heat. Any time the Celtics play LeBron it’s a big game for us fans. Things were looking like they were over until brad drew up this beauty of a play for the win.
4. February 11, 2015 vs Atlanta
This game was a pretty big deal at the time too. Atlanta was having a remarkable season and was first in the East. The Celtics were just starting to find their identity and fans were starting to really get behind the team. This game seemed to be the spark that led to the playoff push that year.
3. March 1, 2017 vs Cleveland
This was yet another Celtics vs LeBron game. The 2016-17 season was the first time in a while where people really began to believe the Celtics could potentially win something. They ended up finishing first in the East but falling in the conference finals. This game was what made the fans believe. It was the first visit that the Cavs made to Boston of the season, and the Celtics proved they could protect home court.
2. December 28, 2017 vs Houston
Everyone should remember this one, I sure do. I was visiting England and it was nearly 4 in the morning when this one came to an end. The Celtics came from 26 down to beat the Rockets after Marcus Smart drew 2 straight offensive fouls on James Harden. This was a Brad Stevens team at it’s best, never giving up and continuing to play hard.
April 1, 2016 at Golden State
This game was amazing. The Warriors were undefeated at home and the Celtics went into Oracle and broke the streak. The thing that made this game so great was that the Celtics had a chance to snap the Warriors’ 26 game win streak to start the season and came up just short, losing in double overtime. They sure got their revenge winning by far the best regular season game of the Brad Stevens era.
If you think I missed any, let me know by either tweeting at me or replying to this blog.
Thanks for reading!
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