Post Game Thread - vs Brooklyn Nets, Away

[bobheckler]

http://www.espn.com/nba/recap?gameId=400899667



Thomas scores 23, Celtics beat Nets for 3rd straight win




8:31 PM PT
Associated Press



NEW YORK -- Boston's backcourt was too good for a Brooklyn one still missing Jeremy Lin.

Isaiah Thomas scored 23 points, Avery Bradley had 22 and the Celtics beat the Nets 111-92 on Wednesday night.

Al Horford added 17 points for the Celtics in their third straight victory. Jae Crowder had 15.

Boston improved to 5-1 when Horford is in the lineup.

"Al can score the ball," Bradley said. "But it's all the little things that he does and how he gets the ball moving, it's so contagious. During the timeouts he's telling guys, `We need to move the ball.' He's a leader, speaks up and he really helps our team with that because sometimes the ball sticks and for Al to step up and say something and us moving the ball and it start with him, that means a lot."

Sean Kilpatrick scored 23 points for the Nets, who have lost five in a row. Trevor Booker had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and Bojan Bogdanovic added 14 points.

Boston raced to an 11-2 lead and was ahead 30-16 after one quarter, but the Nets answered with a 21-6 run and 12 points from Bogdanovic in the second quarter.

The Nets came all the way back to tie it at 60 in the third, but the Celtics then went on a 19-6 run to regain control.

"For the most part, I feel like we were sharing the ball tonight and getting open shots for our teammates and that's how we pulled away in the first quarter and that's how we pulled away at the end of the game," Bradley said.

Third-quarter struggles have become a theme for the Nets thus far.

"I don't know if our mindset collectively is right," center Brook Lopez said. "I mean, I guess it's not. We just need to find a way to all be on the same page and come out the way we've been coming out most games, and again just sustaining that effort and energy. That's the bottom line."

Kilpatrick scored 13 points in the fourth, but it wasn't enough for Brooklyn.


TIP-INS

Celtics: Guard Marcus Smart has made an effort to add the floater to his game. "He's worked on it quite a bit," coach Brad Stevens said. "It was a major focus going into his second year and he got better at it and then he's continued that focus now going into his third year. The best part about a floater is it's got a chance of going in, but it also leads to a shot block attempt so you've got a chance to get a rebound." ... Demetrius Jackson and Jordan Mickey were inactive.


Nets: Lopez is now the only player in the league with 20 or more 3-pointers and blocks. ... Booker has matched his single-season career high with his fifth double-double of the season. ... Chris McCullough became the fourth player in history to appear in an NBA game and a D-League game in the same day. ... Lin (strained left hamstring) and Caris LeVert (left foot rehab) were inactive.


LIN UPDATE

Coach Kenny Atkinson said there was "no specific time frame" for Lin's return after he missed his ninth straight game.

"He's just progressing as scheduled," Atkinson said. "He's anxious to play. We're anxious to get him back, but we also understand the big picture long-term and, definitely, I think in these situations I know collectively we're airing on the side of being cautious and smart."


bob


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[bobheckler]

Good news, bad news.  The good news is that a win is a win is a win and a win over Brooklyn is a BIG win for the Celtics franchise.  The bad news is that the Nets are a team that gave up about 127 ppg over their last 4 games and we were only able to get 111.  111 isn't bad, it's even really good against a quality opponent, but neither is true of the Brooklyn Nets.  Sorry to be such a wet blanket on Thanksgiving, but we gave up a 17 point lead.  That should not happen against anybody but especially against one of the worst teams in the league who is missing a starter (Jeremy Lin) to boot.

Nobody has been more down on Marcus Smart than I have.  His inept shooting makes me crazy, but all I have asked for is that he shoot less.  He has been averaging over 10 fgas/game.  All I asked for was for him to take 5 or 6 and let a better scorer (which is to say, anybody and everybody else in the league) have the 5 that he gives up.  Smart was 2-10 last night BUT the last 4 or 5 of them were in garbage time when we were up 20 and the game was put away.  So, I'm not going to hold those against him (although, an argument can be made that if he can't hit shots in garbage time against end-of-bench talent that's pretty freaking weak).  So, he was 1-5 or 1-6 when it counted.  As strange as it might sound, coming from my mouth, I can live with that.  I can live with Smart shooting 20%, in limited volumes, to gain the rest of his game and the rest of his game last night was amazing.  He did just about everything else great.  8 rebounds, 8 assists and only 1 TO, 2 steals and ferocious defense.  Ripping rebounds and balls out of Net hands.  He finally cooled Bogdanovich off.  He also showed floor generalship, with the ball in his hands, on offense.  If he continues to have games like this he could slide over to point 3, which would allow IT to move to off-the-ball shooter.  He is, obviously, our 6th man, playing starter-level 31 minutes last night (only IT (32) and Bradly (34) played more minutes).  He won't win 6th Man of the Year because they tend to pick scorers off the bench for that, but he is a HUGE impact player.  There is nothing non-committal or halfway about Marcus Smart.  Like I have said numerous times in various threads all I want him to do is shoot less.  If he does that, and changes nothing else, I would be ecstatic.

Crowder with an understated game.  Ended up hitting some KEY shots late in the 4th.

The Cyborg named Jonas Jerebko is still motoring.  I think he jogged back to Boston last night after the game.  Despite his shaky season start his fg% is now 45% and he is shooting 40% from 3.  His energy and hard work makes a difference just as Smart's does.  What our 2nd unit lack in size and skill they make up for with energy.

Going into last night's game IT had taken 122 fritos.  The rest of the team had taken 117.  We need more balance there.  We need more players who look to create contact.  He got his 23 but on a KoME-esque 8-21.

Great game by Bradley too.  He was doing it all.  5 steals.

Rozier with another solid game.  Have I mentioned, 90 or 100 times, that I love his rebounding?  He had a couple of real man traffic rebounds last night.  You can see how much the game has slowed down for him.  When he pulls up for a shot now he doesn't rush it, like last year.  Now, he knows where his man is and he knows he has the time to take a good shot.  3-4 last night.  He is, quietly, shooting 44.6% on the year and his 3pt fg% is 44.4%.  

Horford is amazing.  If he isn't the most versatile center in the league, who is?  How many centers would have 8 assists and only 2 TOs?  It has only been 6 games for him, but he is averaging 5.3 apg and 1.2 TOs.  That's a 4.41 ratio.  CP3 is  average about the same but Russell Westbrook is only about 2:1, Rondo is about 3.5 and Damien Lillard is 1.6.  These are generally considered some of the top point guards in the league, players who are expected to run offenses, and Horford is more effective at that than them.  That is amazing.  

Booker loves playing against us.  He kept coming at us.  I like him.

Lopez took 6 3pt fgas.  I smiled after each one.


Brooklyn is now tied with Minny for the 3rd worst record in the league.  One thing that tells me is that there is something not right in Minny.  With that talent, and with Thibs as the head coach, they should be MUCH better than 4-10 but, as Doc always said, "you are your record".  We just won 3 road games in a row.  Sure, two of them were against the aforementioned Brooklyn Nets and Minnesota Timberpups, a combined 8-20 record, but still...

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody.


bob


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[dboss]

Smart does not shoot too much.

[dboss]

He shoots too many 3's some are poor shots.

[bobheckler]

He shoots too many 3's some are poor shots.  

dboss,

His 2pt fg% is 40.9%. He is shooting 41.7% from 0-3 feet, 41.2% from 3-10 and 62.5% from 10-3pt range. So, the only place where he is shooting well is from NOT point blank out to the arc. Inside 10' (which is to say inside the restricted area) he is a poor shooter, given the range. Outside the dotted line to the arc he is good and then he falls off again outside 3. If Brad can run plays for him that let him take good mid-range shots, then fine. Otherwise, he is a poor finisher from everywhere else, including 2ptrs in close.

So, I guess I agree with you, to an extent. Smart does take too many 3s. He needs to move that shot a few feet closer but not so close he gets near the restricted area. When he does get that close he is better off taking the 3 because his fg% is comparable but he will get an extra point for the 3.


bob


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[gyso]

IMO, if Smart does anything too much, it is shoot too early in the shot clock. I wouldn't so much him missing threes if they were later shots in desperation. Oddly he oftentimes hits those.

gyso

[bobheckler]

IMO, if Smart does anything too much, it is shoot too early in the shot clock.  I wouldn't so much him missing threes if they were later shots in desperation.  Oddly he oftentimes hits those.

gyso

gyso,

I'm not sure how to read this.  I got it from 82games.com

http://www.82games.com/1617/16BOS4.HTM



Shot clock usage
Secs..........Att............eFG%...............Ast'd..............Blk'd...........Pts
0-10--------48%---------.425--------------47%------------3%-----------4.9
11-15-------31%---------.654--------------71%------------12%---------4.9
16-20-------14%---------.333--------------100%-----------8%----------1.1
21+----------7%---------.667--------------67%-------------17%--------1.1
Crunch------21%---------.444--------------83%-------------11%--------2.3


Does this say that he takes almost half his shots with less than 10 seconds left on the shot, or that he takes them in the first 10 seconds?



bob


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