Post Game Thread - vs Detroit Pistons, Away

[bobheckler]

Stellar Tyler Zeller not enough to boost tired Celtics


8:35 AM ET


Chris Forsberg
ESPN Staff Writer




The Boston Celtics' improbable streak -- winning 10 straight road games at the end of back-to-backs -- ended with Wednesday's 119-116 loss to the Detroit Pistons at the Palace of Auburn Hills.

The Celtics, who had started generating a bit of a national buzz, especially after taking the Golden State Warriors to double overtime last week, have now dropped three of their last four games, falling to 14-12 and sit outside the current Eastern Conference playoff picture.

There is no reason for panic, but the Celtics are surely frustrated by this little funk. This young Boston squad missed a chance to really make a statement against Golden State and, despite bouncing back with maybe the gutsiest win of the season by stealing one in Charlotte the next night, the Celtics have failed to build off that win.

Eager to show the Cleveland Cavaliers how far they've come since last season's playoff sweep, the Celtics turned in an offensive dud Wednesday. Boston forgot to pack its defensive intensity for the quick trip to Detroit and gave up a gaudy number against the Pistons.

The Celtics can pluck some positives from Wedneday's loss:


Tyler Zeller notched 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three rebounds over 10 minutes in the loss. B. Sevald/Einstein/NBAE via Getty Images
Zeller ready when called upon

Celtics big man Tyler Zeller started the 2015-16 season as the team's starting center, but that lasted only three games and he has been in mothballs pretty much since. The 25-year-old Zeller has logged less than 91 minutes of floor time in 13 appearances off the bench, an average of less than seven minutes per game. What's more, three of the nine DNPs that Zeller has logged this season came last week.

With Boston in need of a spark Wednesday, coach Brad Stevens rolled with Zeller, who responded with 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting and three rebounds over 10 minutes. Zeller, who admitted to reporters after the game that it has been difficult to stay game ready due to a lack of floor time, didn't show many signs of rust. He showcased again that he can be an offensive weapon around the basket.

Will it lead to more floor time for Zeller? It's hard to say. The Celtics will eventually get a boost when Marcus Smart is able to return (though there's still no firm timetable on that). Smart's presence will help a thin backcourt but could also limit the need for Stevens to lean on the likes of Zeller and David Lee (at least if Boston continues to utilize smaller lineups with players like Jae Crowder and Jonas Jerebko at the power forward spot). But there's room for a fourth big and if Zeller can return to a consistent force, it might diminish minutes for Lee, whose on/off court splits have been an eyesore despite his occasional offensive outbursts.

Through it all, Stevens has maintained Zeller will help the Celtics this season and implored him to stay ready. For a Boston team that needs more offensive consistency, Zeller can help (even if the season numbers suggest otherwise with Boston's offensive rating a measly 96.2 when Zeller is on the floor and bouncing up to 101.4 when he's not).

Beating the Drum(mond)

The Celtics put an obvious focus on limiting Pistons big man Andre Drummond and were successful -- of about as successful as you can be against a player who put up 16 points and 12 rebounds. Only five times this season has Drummond been limited to fewer than 12 rebounds in a game. What's more, Boston won the overall battle on the glass, 44-36.

The flip side: Boston's attention to Drummond gave additional space to Detroit's perimeter players and the Pistons shot a sizzling 52.4 percent beyond the 3-point arc (11-of-21 overall). Anthony Tolliver (3-of-4 on 3s), in particular, hurt Boston when left open.

And, as much as the Celtics kept Drummond quiet, it's impossible not to think back to his half-court heave heading into halftime in a game that was ultimately decided by three points.

Still, it's a credit to Boston bigs like Jared Sullinger for the job he did in keeping Drummond off the glass. Sullinger came back with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting with 10 rebounds in Wednesday's loss.

The force awakens

Not quite to the extreme of Zeller, but Jerebko's minutes have seen a dip this season because of his offensive struggles. Stevens leaned on Jerebko for 16 minutes on Wednesday night and the former Pistons forward responded with nine points on 3-of-5 shooting and three rebounds.

Jerebko hit a trio of big-time 3s late to give Boston a chance to hang around, but he also missed a layup near the rim with 10 seconds to play in a three-point game. Still, Jerebko just needed a decent shooting night to restore some confidence. A key cog in Boston's second-half surge to the playoffs last season, Jerebko can help this team if he simply focuses on making hustle plays and knocks down open shots when they come his way.

The IT department?

It shouldn't go unnoticed that Isaiah Thomas matched a career high with 38 points on 12-of-20 shooting. Thomas' night was offset in part by Kentavious Caldwell-Pope scoring 31 points on 10-of-16 shooting. On a night most of his teammates were in the negative, Thomas was a team-best plus-13 in plus/minus and had 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and 4 turnovers to his stat line.

Thomas' only blemish? The Celtics had clawed to within four with about three minutes to play in the fourth quarter Wednesday. Thomas was whistled for a three-shot foul when, believing Stevens had instructed him to give a foul, Thomas made contact with Reggie Jackson. The only trouble was that Jackson got himself up in the air during the foul attempt and made it seem as if he were hit in the act of shooting (a sequence that left the typically unflappable Stevens irate, though more so at the official that called the foul than at Thomas). Jackson made all three shots and made it more daunting for Boston to rally back.


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STUD AND DUDS: KENTAVIOUS CALDWELL-POPE, PISTONS HOLD OFF CELTICS
12.16.15 at 11:08 pm ET
By Josue Pavon


After the Pistons opened their first double-digit lead of the second half, Celtics coach Brad Stevens turned to his bench, but it wasn’t enough to counter Detroit’s Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Reggie Jackson, who combined 54 points in a 119-116 victory.

Once the Pistons built a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead — their largest of the night, Jonas Jerebko’s nine points on three straight 3-pointers helped the C’s cut the deficit to four. But before Jerebko’s final 3-pointer, Jackson converted three free throws on a questionable shooting foul that extended Detroit’s lead to seven. In the end, Jackson scored seven more points and Caldwell-Pope added four from the free-throw line in the final minutes for the Pistons.

Isaiah Thomas made a 3-pointer in the final seconds that cut the lead to 118-116. The Celtics fouled Jackson, who missed his second attempt, but with no timeouts remaining Jared Sullinger’s desperation heave from the opposite end of the floor sailed wide in the final 1.7 seconds.

Remarkably, the Celtics loss on the second night of a back-to-back on the road for just the first time in 11 games. Thomas scored a career-high 38 points, Sullinger added a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds) and Tyler Zeller scored 12 off the bench. Caldwell-Pope netted a team-high 31 points, Jackson dropped 23 and Andre Dummond had a double-double (16 points, 12 rebounds) for the Pistons.

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

STUD OF THE NIGHT: Isaiah Thomas.

Thomas was the most consistent scorer for the Celtics, and he did it for four quarters. He finished with 38 points on 11-for-20 shooting, adding six assists to finish as a plus-12 on the night.

DUD OF THE NIGHT: Avery Bradley.

Bradley scored five points on 2-for-8 shooting. His jump shot looked flat, and so did his defense opposite Caldwell-Pope.

VINE OF THE NIGHT:

https://vine.co/v/imDvHl9rmwX

WHINE OF THE NIGHT: Personal fouls and timeouts.

The Celtics were whistled for 35 fouls. The Pistons shot 74.4 percent from the charity stripe on 32-of-43 shots. The Celtics enacted a Hack-a-Drummond routine, intentionally putting Drummond on the line for six attempts (3-6), and then fouled to get the ball back at the end of the game, but those aside — the Celtics have to play better defense.

Meanwhile, the Celtics could have set up a game-tying play with a scant 1.7 seconds left if they had a timeout remaining. Stevens has to do a better job conserving his timeouts to give his young team a chance at the end of games.

STAT OF THE NIGHT: 18 turnovers.

It seemed like whenever the Pistons were on a run the Celtics would commit costly turnovers. The C’s forced bad passes, committed offensive fouls and lost the ball at times when they needed to find their offense.

@ OF THE NIGHT: It takes a lot to get Brad Stevens fired up, but these refs managed to get the Celtics coach going.



Kyle George @kyoo
mad brad: full version
6:58 PM - 16 Dec 2015
 14 14 Retweets   38 38 likes


bob



.

[dboss]

This game was separated by an improbable half court shot made by Drummond at the end at the 1st half.

I thought both Pope and Jackson killed us.  

Other observations

Jonas finally made an impact on offense but he still has a very mechanical look about him

Young better enjoy his time on the court because Smart is on the mend.  I am still waiting for Young to knock down some shots from the outside.

Was that a Zeller sighting out there last night?  There was some guy out there last night that looked exactly like Zeller but I am quite certain it could not have been him.

Do you notice how every time we think KO has finally arrived, he abruptly leaves the building?  

oh well

dboss

[bobheckler]

I had almost my entire post written, and then I hit the wrong button and it all went away.

I'm too frustrated to write it again. Maybe later.


bob


.

[worcester]

I only got to watch the end of the game. I had been watching Frank Sinatra and Gene Kelly in On The Town with my gal. Did you know Gene Kelly's first foray into television was a documentary for NBC's Omnibus, Dancing is a Man's Game (1958), where he assembled a group of America's greatest sportsmen – including Mickey Mantle, Sugar Ray Robinson and Bob Cousy - to show the continuity between sport and dance.

Anyways, what happened to KO. Did he cross the bridge over to Windsor to freshen up on his "eh's"?"

[sinus007]

Hi,
This game looked very much like the previous one, against Cavs. The first 2 quarters Celtics looked good, seemed like they're winning. Then came quarters 3 and 4 and they took a nap; by the mid 4th quarter they woke up and almost caught the opponent but not quite.
Is it a funk or a trend? I can't tell.

AK

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