Post-Game Thread, Preseason vs Knicks, Away

[bobheckler]

http://www.nba.com/celtics/gamerecap/keys-2016105-bosnyk?sf38988555=1






Draft Kings Keys to the Game

KEY MOMENT
KEY PLAYER
BOX SCORE NUGGETS
QUOTE OF THE NIGHT



By Marc D'Amico |  @Marc_DAmico
Celtics.com


October 15, 2016



Key Moment

It’s rainin’ 3s! Hallelujah! It’s rainin’ 3s!

Well, it’s not anymore, but it finally was for Boston during the latter stages of the second quarter of Saturday night’s matchup against the Knicks.

Boston had been struggling from long range and starving for success from long distance this preseason. Saturday night, they finally found a rhythm.

Al Horford got the ball rolling with a trey at the 4:33 mark of second frame. His bucket apparently popped the lid off the basket, both for him and for his teammates.

The big man drilled another 3 just 26 seconds later to tie the game up at 43-43, and then his teammates began to follow suit. By the end of the quarter, Jae Crowder had nailed two treys of his own, and Isaiah Thomas and Marcus Smart added one each.

All told, Boston drilled six 3s during the final 4:33 of the first half, accounting for 75 percent of its baskets during that time. The hot streak from long range pushed the C’s, who had trailed 41-37 before Horford’s first trey of the night, ahead by a count of 59-50 at the break.

Brad Stevens chose not to play his starters during the second half, allowing the reserves to carry Boston to a 119-107 victory. New York crept to within two points during the second half before the C’s, led by 17 second-half points from R.J. Hunter, pulled away for the win.

Many key plays were made by Boston during the second half that allowed it to grab a win on the road, that much is for certain. But that streak of hot 3-point shooting that the team’s starters showcased? That was the most important part of this game.

Not because it gave the Celtics a win, but more so because the starting group now has a rhythm from long range, something it didn’t have prior to Saturday night.



Key Player

Avery Bradley scored only seven points Thursday night during 26 minutes of action.

Saturday night? Oh, was Saturday night different.

Bradley was on fire for the entirety of his 17 minutes of action against the Knicks. All 17 of those minutes were played during the first half, during which he scored a team-best 15 points.

Most important was the sizzle with which Bradley shot the basketball. He was almost perfect on the night, canning seven of his nine attempts from the field. Typically known as a 3-point shooter, Bradley took what the defense gave him inside the arc, where he made seven of his eight field goal attempts.

There wasn’t much else to Bradley’s box score – he added only two steals, one rebound and one assist – but the rest of his play didn’t really matter. What mattered was that he was on fire throughout the duration of his night, and that’s exactly what the Celtics want to see out of their longtime shooting guard as the preseason winds own.


Box Score Nuggets

Seven Celtics scored in double-figures, led by R.J. Hunter's team-high 17 points.
Mindaugas Kuzminskas scored a game-high 18 points for New York.
Boston totaled only four more rebounds (29) than it did assists (25).
Demetrius Jackson led the game in assists with six despite playing only 13 minutes.
Jackson also scored 10 points.
Carmelo Anthony, who scored 15 points, was the only New York starter who scored in double-figures.
Willy Hernangomez led the game in rebounds with 12.
Boston shot an impressive 58.9 percent from the field and made half of its 3-point attempts.
The C's outscored the Knicks by 13 points while Jae Crowder was on the court.
Both benches were outstanding at scoring the basketball, as the C's reserves totaled 74 points and the Knicks reserves scored 66.
New York outscored Boston 21-8 in second-chance points.
While Boston was hot fro the field, it made only 57.1 percent (20-for-35) of its free throw attempts.
Jaylen Brown notched 12 points and three rebounds off the bench for the C's.


Quote of the night

It was a good experience, especially against someone you grew up watching ... It was an educational experience.
- Jaylen Brown on playing against Carmelo Anthony



COMPLETE BOXSCORE

http://www.espn.com/nba/boxscore?gameId=400899100


bob
MY NOTE:  RJ with 17 points, 0 TOs in 12 minutes and Young with 6  points, 3 TOs in 17 minutes. They have been neck-and-neck so far. This might have knocked someone off the fence. Either Danny is thinking he will keep RJ and pay Young off for this last year or RJ will look better to a prospective trading partner and will want him in the trade. Either way, if this box score means anything, it could have been the separation Danny etal have been looking for.


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[bobheckler]

bob
MY NOTE:  I'm jonesin' for some Boston Celtics basketball in Fes.

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[bobheckler]

Just watched the highlight film.  If you just watched the film and not the box score you would think the Knicks won the game and that it would have been a 2nd half blowout for THEM but for the Horatius at the Bridge heroics of James Young.  A lot of Knicks possessions shown.

I liked Hunter's offense.  He took what was given him and he was aggressive.   Went to the rim, or at least towards it,  when he could.  "One-trick Pony" James Young just took 3s. 17 points vs 6, in fewer minutes, and they were oohing and ahhing over Young. Perfect.  Let's hope this film was put together by the Knicks' scouting department.  Hunter's defense still needs to be more aggressive.  There were a few loose defensive boards of ours that Hernangomez and Kuzminskas got "off the bounce" and put back in that Hunter didn't stick his nose in there and contest possession of even though he was nearby.  You have to at least swipe at the ball, RJ,  and make them hesitate, so your teammates can re-position themselves and that is precisely the little stuff Brad notices.

No Derrick Rose.  Let's remember that.

bob


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[dboss]

That was an impressive 4th QTR by Hunter because he scored in a variety of ways.

Dboss

[dboss]

20 for 35 from the line was pretty bad. If not for the poor free throw shooting this game would have been a blowout.

dboss

[international]

Bob.
Do you remember when I said to you,Kuzminskas and Hernangomes were ready to play in the NBA?Many people on the forum said I was wrong,because the Euros were not tough to play in the league.Last night both played very well and in control.

[swish]

Quite frequently I pay to much attention to the athletic skills of a basketball player - at the expense of overlooking the BASKETBALL SKILLS of less athletically gifted players. This could very well be the reason why the international players are quietly able to make very solid contributions in the NBA. Very productive - but with less crowd pleasing pizzazz.

swish

[dboss]

The Knicks look to be a much improved team. I expect to see them get up and down quicker and their offense should also be more diverse.

They are still a team in search of a defense but they may stay in games this year because of their offense.

Do they make the playoffs this season?

The East is always more interesting when Boston/NY are competitive.

dboss

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