Post-game Thread: Celtics-Knicks in New York

[Sam]

For the Patriots, the Butler did it.  For the Celtics, the Crowder did it.  Both stole the ball at critical moments to make victory possible for their teams.

After a brief Nuggets surge to start the game (they were up 9 at one point), a Celtics flurry brought them back to only a 29-26 deficit entering the second period.  Zeller, Bradley (once again, hot all night) and Turner had 6, 6 and 5 respectively.  Sully was once again late for practice and cited "traffic" problems, which may have included being stopped by the police.  So he didn't play in the first quarter.

In the second, Sully made up for lost time, taking 8 shots, including two threes (making one) for 7 points.  Avery kept on trucking and, at the end of the half, he had 11 on 5-8 shooting including a three.  But it was Marcus Thornton who threw in 9 points, including two threes, to lead the Celts to a 61-51 halftime lead.  The Nuggets were paced by Afflalo (13) and Nurkic, a young center who shows great potential although he pretty much disappeared in the second half with only 2 points.

One thing the Celtics did briefly in the second quarter was to switch to a 2-3 zone defense for a short time.  The change of pace seemed to befuddle the Nuggs just enough to help the Celtics roll to the 10 point lead.  At halftime, Bradley (11) and Thornton (12) paced the Celtics in scoring; and the bench was +11 and the starters were -1.

Once again, the Celtics "lost" the third quarter, 27-22.  Ty Lawson bagged 12 in the quarter after sleep-walking through the first half.  For a team not known for its defense, the Nuggets were guarding the Celtics closely and forcing the C's offense out.  Which fed right into the Celts' recent penchant for taking jumpers.  Through three quarters, the Celtics shot 55% (11-20) from three-point land and only 39% (22-56) from two-point range.  By the end of three, only three Celtics were shooting better than 50%—Bradley (6-10), Young (3-5) and Thornton (5-9).

What was most interesting about the fourth quarter—aside from the fact that the Celtics "lost" the quarter but won the game–was the minutes distribution.  Playing the most minutes for the Celtics were Smart (12), Bradley (8 ), Sully (7), Crowder (7), Turner (6) and Bass (6).

The trio of Smart, Bradley and Turner is smoking lately because all three of them are offensively minded while also playing very good defense.  More and more, Brad is going small with those three and Crowder (at PF) and Sully, Bass or Zeller as the lone big.  In the fourth quarter, Crowder actually led the team with 5 points.  Down the stretch, the game was nip and tuck, and three plays basically made the difference.  First, Avery went to the floor for a loose ball in Denver's end, tipping the ball over to a teammate;  then Avery hit a big, off-balance shot from the left corner.  Then, it could be argued that Crowder saved the game by entering the game for defensive purposes with the Celts up 2 and "doing a Butler" on Gallinari, leading to two freebies by Avery that put the game out of reach for Denver.

Crowder gets my game ball, not just for that huge steal but also for his 14 points, two offensive boards (he's always around the ball), four defensive boards, three assists, two steals, one block, and great defense all night long—especially on Afflalo.

Individual Players:
Bass: Not as many points as usual; 4-13 shooting; but was in there at tne end on critical Nuggets' possession
Zeller: With Bass, the two Celtics who took the ball to the hoop; and Tyler scored 14 points with 5 rebounds
Bradley: Stayed on a shooting roll, although he shot only 7-15, he hit some big ones at the end
Smart: Only 4 points but 10 (not a typo) rebounds,  8 assists and ferocious defensive all night long
Turner: Only 3-10 (I think his bad hand is really hampering him) but 8 rebounds and 8 assists
Sully: Looked defiant in the pre-game interviews about his latest lateness; but 14 points and 7 boards in 21 minutes helped to atone
Crowder: What can I say?  I love the guy.  Watch him play.  The ball is like a magnet for him.
Young: Got 20 prime time minutes, including some run in the fourth quarter; 3-9 but looking more comfortable in the game flow
Thornton: However long he's here, I'll feel comfortable with his every shot.  A professional sniper.

I guess Prince has a bad hip, which is apparently why he has missed the last two games.

Nice win.  Go Celtics!

Sam