Boston Celtics analysis: Jae Crowder's game-winner, Isaiah Thomas' showdown with John Wall, and a wild final minute

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Boston Celtics analysis: Jae Crowder's game-winner, Isaiah Thomas' showdown with John Wall, and a wild final minute



Print Email Jay King | mjking@masslive.com By Jay King | mjking@masslive.com

on January 17, 2016 at 4:45 AM







WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The final twenty-three seconds included two ill-advised fouls, a shouting match between a player and an opposing coach, a blown four-point lead, a game-winning response, and a last-gasp layup that bounced off the rim but would not fall through it.

After all that -- which led to a thrilling, 119-117 Boston Celtics win -- where should one begin?


Maybe on the final play...

... during which Washington Wizards guard John Wall blew by Marcus Smart -- who, in the frantic rush to cut off the star, had gotten tangled up with Celtics teammate Avery Bradley. As Bradley tripped to the floor and Smart slowed down from the contact, Wall burst by the two defenders. Incredibly, he dribbled the entire length of the floor in less than 3.9 seconds, splitting another pair of Celtics on his way.

Even after Jae Crowder had put Boston ahead with such little time left, Wall gave himself a great chance to send the game to overtime. He may have rushed the shot a bit, taking off from about two feet inside the free throw line when he probably had time for one more dribble. Even so, he has made thousands of similar layups in his life, and will make thousands more.

"Ninety-nine out of 100 times he's making that," said Isaiah Thomas. The 5-foot-9 Thomas later smirked while adding, "I've been blocking some shots lately though, and I was in the paint and I jumped. Maybe I changed his shot, I don't know."


Maybe on the game-winning shot...

... which unfolded exactly how Boston head coach Brad Stevens diagrammed it in a huddle.

"Brad knew exactly how they were going to play it," said Crowder.

After the Wizards had tied the score with 13.9 seconds left, the Celtics called timeout. Interestingly, Stevens bucked convention and opted not to advance the ball to halfcourt. With a chance to take the last shot, a lot of teams would have given the ball to their best scorer and asked him to create an opportunity. Wall later said he thought Thomas would get the ball in either a high pick-and-roll or isolation situation.

Instead, Thomas crossed halfcourt and almost immediately threw a pass to Smart on the left wing. As the final seconds ticked off the clock, he lobbed the ball to Crowder, who was being fronted in that paint -- just as Stevens figured he would be.

https://vine.co/v/iOHAKqd1XzF


Notice the strong-side overload and the decoy on the weak side -- Thomas screening for Kelly Olynyk -- which helped keep the lane free for Crowder's layup. The Celtics knew they could find Crowder down low for an easy basket, and the pass from Smart was on the money.

Asked what he intended on the last play, Stevens replied with three words: "What we got."

"He's a hell of a coach, man," Wall said, according to ESPN. "He's a young coach, but that's one hell of a coach that knows the game real well. Even at the end of the game, we lined up in different formation that he hadn't seen and he called out our play before I got the ball. I heard him calling it out."


Maybe with a description of the previous fun...

... which featured a showdown between Wall and Thomas, two of the Eastern Conference's best point guards.

"They're both competitive players, they both want to win the basketball game, and they want to show they deserve the notoriety that they get," said Bradley. "They're potential All-Stars, and I'm sure that was in the back of their mind, to go out and compete against each other tonight. That's how it's supposed to be. That's what the NBA has been since back in the day – the best players going at each other."

Wall jetted past the Celtics in transition, broke them down in the half court, and zipped a handful of next-level passes when he wasn't looking to score himself. He finished with a stat line -- 36 points, 13 assists, seven steals and seven rebounds -- that had not been accomplished since Basketball-Reference's full database started in 1985-86.

"He's a hell of a player," said Thomas.

The little lefty countered with a statistical rarity of his own, joining Paul Pierce as the second Celtics player ever to hit five 3-pointers and 15 free throws in the same game, according to team radio play-by-play guy Sean Grande. Thomas attempted only 14 field goals, but still racked up 32 points and five assists -- not to mention a few possible bruises from bursting to the rim with no regard for human life (at least his own).

After the game, Thomas said "that wasn't no head-to-head matchup," pointing out that Wall played eleven more minutes.

What if the Celtics point guard had received 44 minutes too?

"I'd probably have 50 points, no lie," Thomas said. "50 and 10, and a win."


Maybe with a dose of reality from Stevens...

... who said, "Obviously, we've got to do better than giving up that four-point lead with 28 seconds (left). And then we can't allow (Wall) to get to the rim uncontested late."

Stevens was frustrated about some of his team's late fouls, especially the ones by Amir Johnson (who fouled Wall on a late 3-pointer when the Celtics were up four) and Smart (who committed a loose-ball foul that sent the Wizards to the line for two free throws with 13.9 seconds left and a chance to tie the game).

But the Celtics trailed by 11 points in the first half and by six points midway through the fourth quarter. They got another great performance from Crowder, who notched 22 points, eight rebounds and six assists. They received important plays from Bradley (a critical 3-pointer after weeks of slumping), Jonas Jerebko (three offensive rebounds in the fourth quarter), Jared Sullinger (who helped a third-quarter comeback) and just everybody else who made an appearance.

This was a crazy game. It was Boston's third straight win. And it ended with both sides caught up in emotions.

"Throughout the whole last couple of minutes their bench was talking mess, we were talking mess. It's just two teams battling," Thomas said. "If (things were brewing between the two teams) I'm all for it. I'll ride with my guys in this locker room just like them dudes will probably ride with theirs. It was a competitive game, and I'm happy that we got the win."


bob
MY NOTE:  I loved this "He's a hell of a coach, man," Wall said, according to ESPN. "He's a young coach, but that's one hell of a coach that knows the game real well. Even at the end of the game, we lined up in different formation that he hadn't seen and he called out our play before I got the ball. I heard him calling it out." The word is getting out, game-by-game, and that bodes well for free agency.


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Anyone hear anything more about what went on with Crowder and Wittman? Haven't seen anything in detail about it and it seemed so odd.....