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FORMER BOSTON COLLEGE STAR REGGIE JACKSON HELPS THUNDER OVERPOWER CELTICS

WEEI

By Jackson Alexander 
 
Reggie Jackson enjoyed a career night at the expense of the Celtics on Sunday, as the mighty Thunder dealt floundering Boston a walk-in-the-park, 119-96 defeat.

Jackson eviscerated the C’€™s defense with a career-best 27 points and handed the Celtics (13-21) their fourth straight loss and seventh in eight games.

The NBA’€™s leading scorer Kevin Durant played more of a facilitating role for Oklahoma City (27-7), allowing the point guard his moment in the limelight. Durant still went for 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds and three steals.

Jeff Green and Avery Bradley anchored Boston with 19 points apiece, while Jordan Crawford (17 points) and Kris Humphries (14 points) also contributed.

WHAT WENT WRONG

Jackson erupts: Prior to the game, much of the defensive consternation revolved around the matchup between Green and Durant. How Boston’€™s top defender, Avery Bradley, would defend Oklahoma City’€™s raw point guard, Jackson, was not a hot topic. However, Jackson, filling in for an injured Russell Westbrook, surprisingly torched the usually stingy Bradley for a career-high points. The Boston College product lit up Bradley in the first half. He scored 11 points in the first five minutes, and 19 over all in the half. career-high for him

D on Durant: In one sense, the Celtics‘€™ defense deserves plaudits for not allowing Durant to break out for 46 points like he did in the Thunder’€™s most recent win. But Durant’€™s 21 points (in just 27 minutes) against Boston did not properly reveal the impact he had on the game. He dished out eight assists, and when Oklahama City was comfortably ahead, Durant went out of his way to pad his teammates’€™ point totals. Durant also pulled down seven rebounds.

Front court production: While Jordan Crawford and Bradley kept Boston’€™s head above water, the Celtics’€™ starting big men did next to nothing to aid the guards offensively. Forwards Brandon Bass and Jared Sullinger combined for just seven points compared to their combined season average of 25.5 points per game. Their sparse production was not a product of a dearth of opportunities ‘€” Sullinger finished 1-for-9 from the field and Bass 1-for-5. Sullinger fouled out in just 19 minutes.

WHAT WENT RIGHT

Bogans’€™ christening: It took close to the entire first half of season, but Keith Bogans has finally found the score sheet. The veteran guard acquired by the Celtics this offseason opened up the second quarter by burying a 3-pointer. Bogans last appeared in a game on Nov. 30, and has only played in four games, 28 games and attempted three shots. He saw playing time in lieu of backup shooting guard Courtney Lee who reportedly was traded on Sunday.

Three-point barrage: A usually docile Celtics 3-point game erupted as Boston canned 3-pointers, the most since Dec. 10. The C’€™s defied a recent trend of poor 3-point shooting, particularly over the past three games. Boston shot a horrendous 14-61 (23 percent) in recent losses to the Hawks, Bulls and Pelicans. Crawford and Jeff Green authored the outburst with three 3-pointers apiece. Boston shot a nifty 8-13 from downtown in the first half to stay within 10 points.

Humphries: Kris Humphries again logged solid minutes from the bench, collecting 14 points along with three blocks and rebounds and two assists. In the last two weeks, Humphries has proved himself the most reliable Celtic off the bench during the last three weeks. In his last 10 games, Humphries has averaged 9.8 points per game on 56 percent shooting, and 6.9 rebounds.
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Rapid Reaction: Thunder 119, Celtics 96

By Brian Robb | ESPNBoston.com

Rapid reaction after the Oklahoma City Thunder defeated the Boston Celtics 119-96 Sunday night at Chesapeake Energy Arena:

THE NITTY GRITTY
Reggie Jackson had a career-high 27 points and Kevin Durant flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 21 points, 7 rebounds and 8 assists, as the host Thunder handed the Celtics their fourth straight loss. Jeff Green and Avery Bradley each finished with a team-high 19 points, but it wasn’t enough to keep pace with the Thunder's superior offensive firepower. Boston played without Courtney Lee, who is expected to be dealt to the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday and did not dress. Even without Lee, the Celtics had a nice bounce-back game on the offensive end, hitting 11-of-23 attempts from 3-point range, though they couldn’t keep up with an explosive Thunder offense that scored efficiently (51.8 percent from the field) all night long. The Celtics now have dropped seven of their last eight games.

TURNING POINT
The Celtics remained within striking distance for most of the first half, but things took a turn for the worse after intermission. A 10-0 run by Oklahoma City midway through the third quarter opened up a 21-point lead for the hosts. The Celtics kept fighting but couldn't get closer than 14 points the rest of the way.

NO LEE MEANS MINUTES FOR BOGANS
Lee's absence paved the way for some minutes for reserve guard Keith Bogans, who saw his first action since Nov. 30 against Milwaukee. He also made his first field goal of the season, a 3-pointer at the top of the key off a dish from Phil Pressey. Bogans finished with three points, two assists and a rebound in a season-high 14 minutes.

JACKSON’S CAREER NIGHT A BITTERSWEET REMINDER
Jackson had a career night while filling in as starting point guard for an injured Russell Westbrook. The 23-year-old hit 9-of-12 field goal attempts, including all three attempts from 3-point range, to lead all scorers with 27 points. Boston’s front office was a big fan of Jackson, the former Boston College star, before the 2011 NBA draft. Unfortunately for the Celtics, Thunder GM Sam Presti selected Jackson with the 24th pick in the draft, one slot before Boston's turn. That night, the Celtics ended up trading for JaJuan Johnson, who is out of the league.

LOOSE BALLS
Green left the game toward the end of the third quarter after being shaken up in a collision with Nick Collison. After lying on the floor for a few minutes, Green walked off under his own power. He returned in the fourth quarter. ... The Thunder's Kendrick Perkins had a nice performance with a season-high 12 points against his former team's undersized frontline. ... Jared Sullinger had another rough shooting night, going 3-of-11 from the field before fouling out in 19 minutes. ... Vitor Faverani saw seven minutes of action, all coming in garbage time during the fourth quarter.

WHAT IT MEANS
The Celtics (13-21) opened their five-game Western Conference road trip with an expected loss and are now 0-3 in 2014. After a day off Monday, the Celtics will need to regroup quickly as they face two sets of back-to-back games over the final five days of the week. With visits to Los Angeles (Clippers), Golden State and Portland on the docket, it will be challenging for the Celtics to end their three-game losing streak anytime soon.
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Trade grades: Good deal by Celtics

By ESPNBoston.com

Based on on-court needs as well as contract implications, ESPN Insider Kevin Pelton gives the Celtics a B+ grade for their trade of Courtney Lee to the Memphis Grizzlies for Jerryd Bayless.

Here's his take:
Not a lot to see here from the Celtics' perspective. Boston dealt for Lee last summer with the idea that his 3-and-D game would complement the team's veteran stars. Not only was Lee a disappointment in that role, those stars are now gone (with the exception of injured point guard Rajon Rondo), and Lee no longer makes as much sense. The Celtics are in more need of shot-creators, so Jerryd Bayless -- who the team has pursued in the past, according to our Marc Stein -- might be a better fit independent of contract matters.

Financially, Boston saves more than a million dollars the rest of 2013-14 and more importantly sheds the final two years and slightly more than $11 million remaining on Lee's contract in favor of Bayless' expiring deal. That will allow the Celtics to clear a little bit of room under the salary cap next summer.

While they won't be players in free agency, that might give Boston the ability to take on salary in exchange for a draft pick. If the Celtics do pull off such a deal, consider it the return for Lee more so than Bayless.
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Celts agree to Jerryd Bayless deal

By Marc Stein | ESPN.com

The Boston Celtics have reached an agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies to trade for veteran guard Jerryd Bayless, according to sources close to the process.

Sources told ESPN.com that the Celtics, after pursuing him in previous seasons as well, are on the verge of acquiring Bayless for shooting guard Courtney Lee. A trade call with the league office, sources said, has been scheduled for Monday.

Courtney Lee might be headed to Memphis soon as the Celtics and Grizzlies reached agreement on a trade.
The Grizzlies, with nearly $7.5 million left of a trade exception they created in January 2013 by dealing Rudy Gay to Toronto, can use that exception to absorb Lee's contract, which runs for two more seasons at slightly more than $11 million after this season.

And Memphis is indeed said to be willing to take on the additional longterm salary left on Lee's contract in hopes that Lee could bring much-needed perimeter shooting to the Memphis offense. The Grizzlies are essentially relying on Mike Conley and Mike Miller for their 3-point threat in the wake of losing Quincy Pondexter for the season to a foot injury.

The Celtics have been trying to shed Lee's contract, despite the 28-year-old's 49.2 percent shooting from the floor this season and 44.2 percent shooting from 3-point range. So they've spent the weekend trying to complete this swap for Bayless, whose production is down under new Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger while making $3.1 million in the final year of his contract.

It's believed that Lee will be pulled from Boston's lineup before Sunday night's game in Oklahoma City in advance of the trade being completed.

The Grizzlies pulled off another move Sunday, waiving guard Seth Curry, brother of Golden State Warriors star Steph Curry, according to sources with knowledge of the move.

The younger Curry, who made his NBA debut Sunday afternoon in Memphis' win at Detroit, would have seen his minimum contract guaranteed for the rest of the season had he made it with the Grizzlies beyond Tuesday.

But Memphis opted to release Curry before the guarantee date. The four minutes he logged against the Pistons marked the only game action Curry got after signing with the Grizzlies out of the D-League on Christmas Eve.

However, sources told ESPN.com that there's a strong chance that the Grizzlies will try to re-sign Curry to a 10-day later this week if he clears waivers. Teams can start handing out 10-day contracts Monday; Memphis can sign Curry to two 10-day deals before it would have to decide whether or not to sign him for the rest of the season or let him go.

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OK.......WHO'S NEXT!


This is a good sign that Danny pulled this trade off with one of his trading assets now rather then wait for the deadline that may or may not produce a meaningful trade.

As I see it, it puts other teams on notice that you need to deal now with Trader Danny or risk losing a player you really want to another team....'cause Danny is not a waiting!

As I said in a post a few days ago, you trade when your assets are high and Lee is at the highest since coming to the Celtics.  Sorry to see him go but by the time the Celtics would be in a position to challenge might be 3 years from now which puts Lee at 32.  Perhaps the Celtics will pick him up cheaper in a few years from now.

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I missed the first half, there was a SF related playoff game going on.

We were "out-lengthed".

1.  Perk did a good job against Sully.  Sully's in a scoring slump.  How much of that is his hand, I don't know.  He sure isn't getting the calls inside.

2.  Vitor cursed Brad Stevens out, in Portuguese.  Otherwise, I don't understand it.  I know that Hump is playing well, I know that Sully is Sully and Bass is Bass, but he is our only true center.  Kiwi Steven Adams, whom I coveted in the draft, got 5 minutes.  One thing about Vitor, though, "Il Hombre Indestructible" spends way too much of his time out at the 3pt line. If he spent more time in the low blocks I think he'd get more minutes and help team too. We need more inside threat than just Sully and Bass.

3.  Almost 29% of all our fgas were 3s.  We hit an excellent percentage of them last night, 48%, but that's our offense, along with a few fast breaks.  I guess that's what you have to do when you don't have height and bulk and you don't run either.  We jog the ball up nicely, even after a made basket, but we pull up.  Unfortunately, OKC hit 47% of their 3s.

4. Hump with another good game. Not much rebounding, but hitting shots.

5. Green played hard, at least in the half I saw. He attacked and that's half the secret to success for him. The other half, the first half really, is showing up mentally.

I'm not going to do my usual core dump since I only saw half the game and that doesn't give me a real good picture of what happened.  It's too easy to give credit for a good half, or damn them for a poor half, when they were the opposite for the rest of the game. It's 48 minutes, not 24. We were clearly outclassed in the 2nd half.

Oh well.  If we didn't expect to lose this game then we haven't paid attention.  I'm just concerned that they're not learning, not progressing as a team.  It's not going to get easier to do that when pieces like Lee and Bayless are being shuttled in and out and that might just be the beginning.


bob


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