Post Game Thread - vs New Orleans Pelicans, Away

[bobheckler]

http://espn.go.com/nba/recap?gameId=400828199



Thomas leads Celtics past struggling Pelicans 111-93
10h



NEW ORLEANS -- Isaiah Thomas didn't try to do more than the Boston Celtics needed him to against the New Orleans Pelicans, even though it looked as though the prolific point guard could have had a much bigger night.

"I should have shot more," he deadpanned when asked about making eight of his first nine shots, including three 3-pointers. "No, it's just the ball was going in the basket. I was in the right position in the offense. Teammates found me."

Thomas scored 22 points, Kelly Olynyk added 21 in a reserve role, and Boston beat struggling New Orleans 111-93 on Monday.

Jae Crowder scored 17 for Boston, while Jared Sullinger tied a career high with 20 rebounds to go with 11 points.

"I think the basketball gods just kind of said, `Hey, you're not going to make a lot of shots. Just do something else," Sullinger said. "The ball just kind of found my hand on the rebounds."


Seemingly out of rhythm after early foul trouble, Pelicans forward Anthony Davis was 8-of-21 shooting and finished with 16 points and three blocks. Ryan Anderson scored 18 for the Pelicans, but New Orleans' starting backcourt struggled. Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon were held scoreless and wound up playing limited minutes. Reserve guard Jrue Holiday had 14 points for the Pelicans.

"They played a lot harder than we did," Pelicans coach Alvin Gentry said. "They competed and they played together and moved the basketball and we didn't. When you don't against a team like that, you get your (butt) kicked at home.

"We have to do a much, much better job if we even want to be a competitive team," he added. "I'm very disappointed."

Avery Bradley, who started despite missing a morning shootaround with an illness, scored 11 points for the Celtics. They hit 12 3-pointers, with Thomas making all four he attempted and Bradley going 3 of 5.

New Orleans led for much of the first half, but the Celtics went on a 13-2 run to close the second quarter, with Thomas hitting two 3s and a 13-foot jumper during the surge, which put Boston up 53-44 at halftime.

The Celtics widened their lead in the third quarter, hitting four of the first six 3s they attempted in the period. Bradley made one as he was fouled by Gordon for a four-point play that gave Boston a 59-49 lead. Amir Johnson's short hook made it 75-55 with less than 5 minutes to go in the period.

New Orleans was able to whittle its deficit down to 10 on Dante Cunningham's driving finger roll with 11:07 left, but Boston responded with a 12-4 run during which Crowder hit a 3 and Olynyk was fouled on a 3, making all three free throws. The Pelicans never threatened again, falling behind by as many as 22.

BACKCOURT CONTRAST

Thomas' eyes widened when he was asked to comment on how he and Bradley outscored the Pelicans' starting guards 33-0.

"That's very dominant. I didn't know that," Thomas said. "We played a pretty good game, I guess."

Evans, who committed five turnovers, said he struggled because he failed to find the right balance between the type of ball movement his coach wants and using his individual strengths as a ballhandler driving toward the basket.

"Coach told me to swing the ball so my mindset was just trying to get guys involved instead of just seeing what the defense was giving me, playing my game, attacking," Evans said. "It's a bad game all around for us. We didn't match their energy."

TIP-INS

Celtics: Boston completed a 3-2 road trip. ... Bradley has made 14 of 24 3-pointers during his last four games. ... Boston outscored New Orleans 48-36 in the paint, going 24 of 38 inside while New Orleans went 18 of 44.

Pelicans: Reserve center Kendrick Perkins, who hasn't played since injuring his right pectoral muscle in the third game of the season, said in the locker room he is hoping to return as soon as this Friday. ... Evans was called for a technical foul late in the second quarter. ... The Pelicans have held opponents under 100 points only twice this season. ... New Orleans (5-16) fell to 4-6 at home, where they play once more before heading out for five straight on the road.

UP NEXT:

Celtics: Host Chicago on Wednesday.

Pelicans: Host Washington on Friday.



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http://greenstreet.weei.com/



STUDS AND DUDS: ISAIAH THOMAS, CELTICS RUN PAST PELICANS, 111-93
12.07.15 at 10:24 pm ET
By Sam Packard
Isaiah Thomas
Isaiah Thomas

Behind a 30-9 run sandwiched around halftime, the Celtics defeated the Pelicans 111-93 Monday night in New Orleans.

With 4:31 left in the second quarter, Jared Cunningham’s free throws gave the Pelicans a 42-40 lead, but Isaiah Thomas led the Celtics on a dominant 10-minute stretch that pushed transferred a two-point deficit to a 70-51 advantage.

Thomas started the run with a floater in the lane before hitting his next three attempts from beyond the arc. Thomas outscored the entire Pelicans team 11-9 during the run. Jae Crowder punctuated the game-breaking stretch with a 3-pointer of his own.

Not normally known for his shooting efficiency, Thomas finished with a game-high 22 points on 9-of-13 shooting, including 4-of-4 from downtown. Kelly Olynyk (21 points), Jae Crowder (17 points), Jared Sullinger (11 points, 20 rebounds) and Avery Bradley (11 points) also scored in double figures for the Celtic€™s (12-9).

While Jrue Holiday scored 14 points for the Pelicans, the Celtics held New Orleans’ starting backcourt of Tyreke Evans and Eric Gordon to zero points on seven shots. The victory marked the C’s third on a nine-day, five-game road-trip. The team returns to Boston on Wednesday to host the Bulls, before trying to hand the potential 24-0 Golden State Warriors their first loss of the season.

For a complete box score, click here. To go beyond the buckets, read on.


STUD OF THE NIGHT: Jimmy Buckets.

With R.J. Hunter nursing a strained left hip flexor on the bench in a ill-fitting sport coat (it was Celtics PR guru Jeff Twist’s), much-maligned Celtics sophomore James Young surprisingly got some time on the floor. Young (a.k.a. Jimmy Buckets) notched four points in a season-high 20 minutes. He played aggressively on the offensive end, displaying his quick release and a willingness to attack the basket in the half court. He also did a solid job on defense, taking a turn guarding Evans and even recording a steal. If the Celtics can get any production from Young this season, it would be huge, as the C’s are are severely lacking depth on the wing.

DUD OF THE NIGHT: Anthony Davis.

The anointed successor for the title of Best Player in the NBA, Davis struggled immensely. Davis opened the game by hitting his first three shots, but then found himself on the bench after picking up two fouls early in the first quarter. Once he returned, he struggled to make an impact offensively, finishing with just 16 points on 21 shots in 30 minutes. The Pelicans were a minus-24 with Davis on the floor, the worst of any player.

WHINE OF THE NIGHT: Brad’s wildest rotation.

At the end of the first quarter, Celtics coach Brad Stevens went big with a lineup of Evan Turner, Crowder, Jonas Jerebko, Olynyk and Tyler Zeller. It didn’€™t really work, as the Pelicans ended the frame on a 10-6 run, but it was still cool to see a glimpse of an anti-small ball lineup.


STAT OF THE NIGHT: 20.

Sullinger had 20 rebounds. Davis had six. Huge game for Sullinger.



bob


.

[bobheckler]

When you're hot you're hot and we are pretty hot right now.

Ok, so the Pelicans aren't exactly the 2nd coming of the Jordanaires but they have talent, quite a bit actually.  They have #1 pick, and monster, Anthony Davis.  They have Tyreke the Freak and All-Star Jrue Holiday, legit NBA shot blocker Omer Asik and Eric Gordon (who may not be worth his contract but he can still score in bunches).  In other words, from a pure talent point of view, they are better than us.  Except that they're not, certainly not right now, and that was abundantly clear last night.



The Pelican announcers are Joel Meyers and ex-Celtic David Wesley.  If you're going to get a gig in broadcasting Nwalins is not a bad place to land (no bird pun intended).  They were both very knowledgeable, not too biased (not that there was much good they could crow about (damn, there's another bird reference) their team last night anyway).  Wesley spoke quite fondly of Boston and his time here.  Wasn't fond of the winters, coming from Texas, but he loved the city.  Said it really hit him his last summer there, that's when he really "got" Boston.

You know you're playing in Nwalins when the PA system tries to rev the crowd up not with "Ba-ba-ba-ba-ba-ba! Charge!" or "Let's go Pelicans!" but with La Marseillaise.

1.  Our starting back court outscored their starting back court 33-0.  That is not a typo.  12-27 vs 0-7.  We didn't even give them a chance to salvage their totally destroyed reputations by gifting them with even a single fta.  Nothing.  9 assists and 2 TOs for us vs 4 assists and 6 TOs for them, so if you were wondering if they getting it done some other way, fuhgetaboutit.  It would have been fun watching Smart vs Tyreke but I can't argue with the results.  Thomas, in addition to having one of his efficient scoring games with 9-13, 4-4 from 3, he was also VERY active on defense.  He's like a little 5'9" box of chocolates, as Forrest Gump would say.  Nwalins has been hurt by injuries, ergo their crappy record, and some players are just getting back but nevertheless they have a 6'4" scoring point guard and an extremely athletic 6'6" SG and they got embarrassed by a back court that averages under 6'.  

2.  Sully was in beast mode last night and Cowens was dancing.  Only 11 points on 4-13 but 20 rebounds.  At least 2, if not 3, of those fgas and rebounds were his misses at the rim.  I've made a big deal about our poor finishing but in the case of these fgas and rebounds, he had Anthony Davis and another Pelican all over him like a cheap suit and he just flat out outworked them on the boards and earned those extra fgas that eventually turned into a fgm.  Kelly was asked, after the game, what he thought and he said "I looked up at the scoreboard and it said Isaiah had every point and Sully had every rebound," Olynyk said. "I was like, 'Get them all, man.'"

3.  Speaking of Kelly, another good game.  It looks as if Kelly is getting even slower, if that's possible, and it's translating into better play.  The game might be slowing down for him a bit.  One can only hope.  Offensively, he was right behind Thomas in scoring with 21 and almost as efficient at 8-13 vs Thomas' 9-13.  His game seems to be so confidence-driven when he misses his first shot or two I think "well, Kelly's going to be useless tonight".  He missed his first two shots.  I thought "oh boy, here we go" and then he hit this little "look what I found!" loose ball floater from 6' and that was all it took.  0-1 after 1 but 4-8 for 9 points at halftime.  Even the stuff he didn't do well he was able to do a decent job with.  He was dribbling into the paint, got swallowed up a bit, and made a really nice wraparound pass in a very, very small space to a Celtic underneath (don't know whom) who passed it out to the open Jae Crowder for a 3pt fga.  The shot didn't go in, but it was good court sense by Kelly knowing he was in trouble, good court vision by Kelly to see that Celtic just behind those Pelicans and a good pass by Kelly right into his hands with Pelicans swarming him.  Ryan Anderson was having one of his good offensive games (that's pretty much what you have him for) but Kelly was acting like he felt he could take Anderson.  Kelly was calling for the ball.  That is what I have been waiting for, for Kelly to realize he is a very mobile 7'er and to start playing like one.  Calling for the ball?  That's ganas.  I don't care if it's against Ryan Anderson, Ryan O'Neal or Anderson Cooper, you have to start somewhere and Ryan Anderson is as good a victim as any.  The boxscore also says that Kelly had 2 blocks, but I don't remember them.  I mention them because, well, nobody thinks of Kelly as a shot blocker.  While his blocks might resemble feats of unimaginable achievement his ability to create steals isn't.  He also had 2 steals and he does seem to be good at that.  He also created a turnover at the end of the game by lurking in their back court and deflecting a pass off a Pelican and out of bounds.  The game was well over by then, but he was still playing hard and making plays.  Now, he just needs to do this with a bit more consistency.  Ok, maybe any consistency would do.  Like I said, you have to start somewhere.

4.  James Young was on his way to the airport to go back to Maine and then got a call telling him to come back to the team.  Brad is thinking maybe he's ready and last night he actually looked like he was.  He played 20 minutes, tons for him, and they were real minutes too and not garbage time.  He was 2-5 and 0-3 but I don't care.  His 2 fgm were because he attacked the rim and that is something he never did before, always settling instead for waiting out at the arc and waiting for the ball.  His defense was ok.  I noticed once he misjudged the gap between him and his man, giving him too much daylight and it cost us, but he didn't look lost as per usual.  Maybe?  Maybe?  This is the first time I've seen him play where I even asked "Maybe?".  It was always "No.  Period."  Perhaps a glimmer?  A shadow of a glimpse of a glimmer?

We looked really good on both ends of the floor last night.  

Our ball movement on offense was excellent.  Penetration by Thomas or Turner, a kick out pass to a big like Sully at the arc and then a quick pass to Bradley for the 3 as soon as the defense starting to rush at Sully.  Beautiful.  We shot 49% and 43% from 3.  

On defense we were in killer bee mode.  We were swarming all over the ball no matter where it went.  Anthony Davis was 8-21 last night because Sully and Amir fought him like real men.  I already talked about what our back court did to theirs.  Who had decent games for them?  None of the usual suspects.  Ajinca, Anderson and the now-bench player Holiday.  That's good coaching.  When your game plan kills the other teams' starters and force their bench to beat you, man, unless you have a bench like ours, they're dead.

Celtics coach Brad Stevens said he likes going with a small lineup for short periods but not as a steady diet. "The small lineup spaces the floor and gives you multiple drivers and shooters," Stevens said. "It gives you the ability to switch. The difference between us and some others when they go small is we're really small."  This translates into "micro-ball beats small ball".  The question outstanding is "how do we do when they go big?".  Still, it's nice to see that Brad isn't infatuated with small ball.

We won 3 quarters and tied one, the first.  On the road.  That's what winners do, they enforce their will and style upon a home team on their court and shut their crowd up.  We are now at the end of a 5 game road trip.  We started it looking like crap, losing a game to Orlando where we were sleep-walking the whole game.  We came back the next night, the 2nd game of a back-to-back, and shredded the Miami Heat.  Then we went south and eviscerated the Sacramento Queens.  A narrow loss in one of the toughest arenas in the NBA, which almost went into OT if Bradley had hit a wide open corner 3 that he is hitting very well all year so far and then last night's demolition of the hapless Pelicans.  A 3-2 road trip, almost 4-1.  That's what winners do, they break even or win on the road and own their home court like the way the Spurs still own theirs despite the scare we put into them.  That's what we need to work on now and we'll have a chance tomorrow against the always dangerous Chicago Bulls.

This team is a lot of fun to watch.  If they bring energy, they can even overcome horrendous shooting.  For the sake of my sanity I'd rather not have to count on it, but they can.

12-9 and 6-5 away.  6-5 on the road.  Love it.  We just need to improve on the 6-4 at home.








bob


.

[sinus007]

Hi,
I was really surprised to see Young on the floor in 1st quarter. And then even more to see that he played 20+ minutes.
The only explanation I have is there's a trade in the works.

AK

[bobheckler]

Hi,
I was really surprised to see Young on the floor in 1st quarter. And then even more to see that he played 20+ minutes.
The only explanation I have is there's a trade in the works.

AK

sinus,

One possibility is that we were down Smart and RJ, who was an unlikely player last night due to an illness. Young played guard last night, which is the position he should be growing into, NOT SF.


bob


.

[cowens/oldschool]

WOW what a great coaching job by Brad Stevens, I can't imagine anyone coaching a young team with flaws to this level. Not only do we play with great pace, the way our defense hustles all over the place and covers so many areas and triggers the break is a great WAY to play basketball, but if it was that easy all these teams would be doing it to us and instead were the team that swarms and runs and out works and out positions the opponents. No wonder no less an authority as Popavich goes out of his way to praise Stevens.

Anthony Davis avg 34 points and 15 rebounds last week, he outdueled Lebron in a recent great game. I didn't see such a dominant beatdown by Sully coming. My theory is Davis is used to competing against basketball players, well Sully is a football player. How many NBA players can play NT or OT in the NFL? Sully sure could do it, think he couldn't get to 320-350 and move NFL lineman? He can get to any spot in the paint, moving these skinny hoop players pretty easily. If Davis is the next best thing, just keep on working and staying healthy Sully and you can get to the all star game by boarding and doing the dirty work. Besides Davis Pelicans also have 2 other 7 footers. they're big, didn't matter Sully owned that paint like a primetime Moses Malone.

IT, AB, Crowder, KO, Amir all huge in their roles and this team fits the bill of sum greater than the parts. I didn't expect anything like this this year, were defenitely ahead of my expectations in this rebuilding process, we are beating teams with poise, teamwork and hustle....amazing.

[beat]

Cow

And Pops always has had Duncan. Sort of made his coaching job a whole lot easier.

What would Stevens do now if he had a young Duncan, with the bunch we already have?

And to add, love watching the help defense. As good as even Bradley Smart and Crowder are man up everyone gets beat off the dribble from time to time but we angle them off as well as anyone and the biggy to me is our help defense is second to none. And if a guy is left open he ain't open for long we recover very well and seem to be able to challenge most shots.

I know the time will most likely come when a trade will take a couple of these guys away from us but right now we are an up and coming team and a lot of fun to watch !

beat

[bobheckler]

bob



.

[bobheckler]

One more thing I just looked up.

We have beaten 4 WC teams this year already, all 4 wins coming on the road.  Last season we won a total of 12 games vs the WC and 5 on the road, the first one not coming until 1/22.

I know that OKC was without Durant.  I know that Sacto is underachieving, given their talent, and the same is true with NOP but still...

Amir is a new addition but of the players that are getting solid rotation minutes (IT, Bradley, Turner, Crowder, Sully, Kelly, Jerebko, Smart) they are all returnees.  This means that the improvement we are seeing is due to Brad's system working, his growth as a coach, and the development and organic growth of our young players and not from a major acquisition (although you could say that IT and Crowder were major acquisitions, but not major enough to make us an elite defense by themselves).  


bob


.

[Berlin-T]

We are on to something very good here. I must admit, I thought this team was going to go through a very rough patch when Smart went down. And it did - for all of two games! Since then they've all picked up the slack and are playing the game the way it should be played.

Kudos to everyone in the Celtics organization, from the owners to Danny and Brad right down to the players.

Keep this up and I may have to revise my 51 win season upwards.

Man is this a lot of fun. Wish you were here to experience this, Sam.

Berlin-T

[cowens/oldschool]

Actually Smart going down has given AB and Turner more responsibility and both players have responded well, Turners shooting is off sometimes, but he still plays hard and his defense and initiating the offense has improved, AB has really taken off with some big plays at big moments. Shockingly for the most part our attacking perimeter defense, the best in the league according to Scal, is still very effective.

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